All In The Eyes Of A Boy
by FireCracka
Summary: *Sequel to DADT* As Minoru tries to bring Ichigo and Chad back together and get rid of Ichigo's new love interest, Ken'Ichi struggles to remain in denial over his growing crush on the new boy in school. HitsugayaOC. ChadIchigoGrimmjow. LAST CHAPTER IS UP!
1. Carry On My Wayward Son

**All In The Eyes Of A Boy**

**Warning: Contains yaoi, suggestive themes, language, possible violence, possible lemon(s), possible drug and alcohol usage, AU, OCs, OOC. Rating may change later. **

**This is the sequel to my first story, "Don't ask, Don't Tell". If you haven't already read it, you might not really understand what is going on.**

***Spoiler to Don't Ask, Don't Tell* Basically what happens in the first story is that Chad and Ichigo are partners with three foster children: Ken'Ichi (12), Minoru (10), and Tetsuya (2). Ken'Ichi finds out that Chad had been having an affair with a bartender named Nova for two years. After a series of events, Ken'Ichi eventually tells Ichigo about the affair and Ichigo and Chad separate.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

**Please enjoy!**

* * *

"Minoru, wake up!" Ichigo said.

"..."

"Minoru wake up!" Ichigo shouted, getting slightly impatient.

"..."

"Minoru, wake up now!" Ichigo shouted, growing increasingly impatient with his son and his laziness.

"..."

"GODDAMMIT, MINORU! GET YOUR ASS READY FOR SCHOOL!!" Ichigo shouted as he stood in the doorway of his sons' small and messy bedroom. The fourth attempt at waking up the 11- year old boy apparently succeeded, as Minoru finally woke up with a jolt and scrambled out of bed, only to remember that he slept on the top of a bunk bed and instead fell to the floor and landed on his side with a hard THUD with the comforter falling right behind him. Minoru winced in pain as he curled up on the floor in his comforter. Ichigo only smiled sympathetically at his slightly clumsy son and folded his arms.

"You alright?" Ichigo asked, half smirking.

"Yeah, I guess or whatever." Minoru blandly responded, slowly standing up and wrapping the comforter around his body like an oversized coat.

Ichigo looked around the room. A pig's den was cleaner than this. There were dirty clothes piled on top of each other and the half eaten food was lying on the floor. It made Ichigo's stomach churn slightly.

"This room is disgusting to look at. When are you gonna clean it?"

"I share the room with Ken'Ichi. How come this isn't bringing brought up with him?"

"I already told him about it. You need to clean this room."

Minoru rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

He went to a pile of dirty clothes and pulled his blue towel out from the bottom and walked out of the room with his blanket still covering his body like a cloak. Minoru suddenly remembered what he was supposed to have told Ichigo the previous night and rushed back to the room.

"Daddy, Dad is taking me to a baseball game tonight, so after school, I'll just take the bus over to-"

"What? Wait a minute. You can't go." Ichigo interrupted.

"What?!" Minoru angrily said. "Why not?"

"Because Grimmjow is coming over for dinner tonight." Ichigo replied, blushing slightly as he looked away. "I invited him earlier this morning."

"That's not fair, Dad!" Minoru replied. "Whenever something involves Dad, you always come up eith something to to at the last minute! You're ruining my life!"

"Baseball will always be there." Ichigo said in an almost dismissive chuckle.

"And so will Grimmjow." Minoru said in a huff as he walked back out the door. "Man this sucks."

Ichigo sighed at his son and looked at his watch. His eyes widened as he quickly made his way to Tetsuya's room. When he entered the 3- year old's bedroom, he saw the young toddler bouncing up and down on his bed. It was only recently that Tetsuya outgrew his baby crib and received a actual bed. Ichigo was a little concerned at first since he thought Tetsuya wouldn't want to sleep on a real bed, but was fairly surprised to see Tetsuya jumping up and down on the mattress the first night he got it.

"Dad!" Tetsuya happily shouted, holding out his small arms in-dictating for Ichigo to catch him. Ichigo smiled and picked the toddler up.

"Come on, its time for daycare, alright?" Ichigo said.

"Okay." Tetsuya said. "But I'm hungry."

Ichigo nodded and walked out of the room with Tetsuya. As Ichigo made his way to the kitchen with Tetsuya in hand, he overheard the cursing of a certain 13-year old boy who standing in front of the stove.

"Dammit!" Ken'Ichi shouted as he held his slightly burned fingers. He was bent over the stove and his face was scrunched up in pain. "I was about to make scrambled eggs. Or attempt to."

Ichigo looked at his eldest son with sympathy as he made his way to the refrigerator and let Tetsuya down. He opened the fridge and pulled out a bag of bread with salami and cheese slices and set them on the counter to make Tetsuya a sandwich. "I guess this would be a bad time to say that you guys are on your own for breakfast."

"And lunch and dinner and every meal after that." Ken'Ichi groaned as he opened the drawer and pulled out a box of bandages. "We count on you Ken. _I _count on you." Ichigo assured as he looked over his shoulder for a brief moment and resumed making Tetsuya a sandwich.

"And what a super job I'm doing." Ken'Ichi said in a sarcastic tone, wrapping the bandages around his burnt fingers.

"You are." Ichigo reassured his son as he picked up Tetsuya, who was happily enjoying his sandwich. "Look I gotta go or I'll be late for work and getting Tetsuya to daycare."

"Dad called again." Ken'Ichi said.

"How nice for him." Ichigo replied in a sarcastic tone as he rolled his eyes and headed out the kitchen with Tetsuya in hand.

Ken'Ichi sighed heavily. That was the first time Ichigo had used Chad in a sentence without any curse words. It had been a year since his father, Chad, moved out and Ichigo still stubbornly refused to even talk _about _him, let alone _to _him. Ever since Chad left, the flow of their once happy home had changed for the worst; dishes were piled in the sink, clothes were laying all over the house, and Ichigo began to work more hours at the hospital and the kids would be left to fend for themselves for almost everything, food included. However, not all hope was lost, as there was a very slight progression in Ichigo feelings toward Chad; whenever Chad would call, Ichigo would look at the caller I.D and not bother to pick up the phone. More recently, however, Ichigo would pick up and hang up the phone. So it wasn't really progress, but at least it was something different.

"Guess who's coming to dinner?" Minoru said as he waltzed into the kitchen area, fully dressed and ready for school.

Ken'Ichi rubbed his head, hoping it wouldn't be who he thought it was. "Please, don't tell me it's-"

"Yep, it is." Minoru interrupted. "Grimmjow."

Grimmjow. That name pricked Ken'Ichi like a thorn puncturing through the most soft and delicate skin. In order to take his mind off of a certain someone (although he would never admit it), Ichigo began dating a mechanic by the name of Grimmjow Jeagerjaques after he fixed Ichigo's car one time when it broke down on the freeway a few months back. They had only known the man for five months, but from the moment they first saw him, they knew he was trouble. That creepy grin, disgusting teal hair, sadistic personality, the aura he would bring whenever he would walk into the room, everything about him they boys hated. They had no idea what Ichigo saw in that man, and they hoped that the man was just a rebound.

"How worried should I be?" Minoru said. "Is this some sort of strange rebound phase or what?"

"I guess so." Ken'Ichi said. "It's just a weird phase he's going through. We just need to be patient."

"Whatever." Minoru groaned as he rolled his eyes and left the kitchen area for the front door.

* * *

As the rowdy class were occupied throwing paper balls at each other, Ken'Ichi and Dan were sitting on the desk of their homeroom, waiting for class to start while eating potato chips with their other friends, Hiyori and Lilynette.

"So, Kurosaki-san still isn't coming to his senses, I presume?" Dan asked, taking a bite of a single chip.

"Nope." Ken'Ichi replied.

"I don't get it." Hiyori said. "How could Kurosaki-san replace Sado-san with some douchebag so quickly?"

"I don't know." Ken'Ichi replied. "It's just irresponsible the way he's acting. Ever since he kicked my Dad out, Daddy's been a little man-crazy. Bringing home random men from all four corners for almost a year. He's only known Grimmjow for five months and he acts as if my Dad never even existed."

"Cut Kurosaki-san some slack." Dan said as he took another bite of his potato chips. "He got his heart ripped out."

Ken'Ichishot Dan a warning glare and Dan silently apologized.

"Maybe he's trying to fill that void in his life right now with the next best thing." Lilynette said. "Its perfectly normal for someone going through a separation. Like a fat guy who's on a diet and uses carrots to replace chocolate pudding or whatever fatty foods fat people eat."

Ken'Ichi, Dan, and Hiyori all simply stared at her.

"What?! My father, Starrk, is a therapist and nutritionist!" Lilynette said. "It's the curse of being a therapist/nutritionist's daughter! Bad analogy or whatever, sorry!"

"After all, love the one your with when you can't be with the one you love." Hiyori added.

"Whatever man." Ken'Ichi said. "Either way, Grimmjow is just a rebound and rebounds never work out."

"And besides, Kurosaki-san doesn't 'love' him." Dan pointed said. "He's just looking for some good sex. Lover and sex partners: two different things."

Dan's remark was met with a book bag that met with his head. Dan fall off the desk and onto the floor and dropped the bag of chips.

"Ow! What the hell, Ken'Ichi?!" Dan asked, holding his head in pain.

"Actually, that was me." Hiyori corrected while holding the green book bag that was the demise for the blonde-haired boy.

The rowdy class was calmed down as Amegai-san walked into the room. The students all stopped what they were doing and took a seat in their seats. Ken'Ichi, Hiyori, and Lilynette and got off the desks and sat on the chairs while Dan hid the bag of chips in his book bag and sat down as well.

"Class, we have a new student today." Amegai-san said. "Toshiro-kun, you may come in now."

Everyone's head turned towards the door as they watched a young man step through the doorstep. Ken'Ichi's eyes were instantly locked on him. The boy had tan skin with glowed with luminescence when the sun's rays captured him. His eyes flashed a radiant color of turquoise, and his scowl had Ken'Ichi think of his father, Ichigo. His most distinct feature, however, was his hair, which was snowflake white; a brilliant contrast to his skin.

Dan leaned over next to Ken'Ichi to whisper to him. "And I thought Kurosaki-san's hair color was weird."

"Yeah and he also gives Kurosaki-san's scowl a run for its money." Lilynette whispered.

Ken'Ichi shushed at the two of them as Toshiro walked over next to Amegai-san and began to speak.

"My name is Hitsugaya Toshiro." Toshiro said flatly and unenthusiastic.

Hiyori rolled her eyes and leaned in close to Ken'Ichi. "Great. Another emo freak."

"Ken'Ichi- kun? Can you please stand up?" Amegai-san asked. Ken'Ichi nodded and stood up from his desk.

"Toshiro-kun, the seat next to Ken'Ichi-kun is yours." Amegai said as Ken'Ichi sat back down. Toshiro nodded and walked over to the empty chair that stood next to Ken'Ichi and sat down. When the two boys' eyes met for a brief second, Ken'Ichi awkwardly moved his eyes back to the front of the classroom. However, out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Toshiro was smiling as he looked away as well. Why was that?

* * *

Minoru's keys unlocked the door lock to his apartment and with a twist of the doorknob, the 11- year old waltzed into his home after another long day at school. When he put down his book bag and unzipped it to pull out his homework, he stopped abruptly when he heard the sound of lips smacking against each other. He quietly made his way to the kitchen area only to find his father, Ichigo's lips locked with a certain teal-haired man. Minoru felt like gagging. Ichigo's hands were wrapped around Grimmjow's neck while Grimmjow had his arms wrapped around Ichigo's waist as he pinned him next to the stove.

Minoru scowled at the sight and walked back to the door. He opened the door and closed it loudly.

"I'm home!" Minoru shouted.

"In here!" Ichigo said. Minoru walked back to the kitchen area and saw the two now sitting down.

"Hey Minoru, say hi to Grimmjow." Ichigo said.

"Hey man." Grimmjow said, flashing his infamous creepy psychotic grin. Minoru stared angrily at him. There was something about that weird smile that made Minoru want to vomit. Whenever Grimmjow smiled like that, Minoru would feel as if the man had just committed a murder. Or was about to.

Minoru responded to Grimmjow with the suck of his teeth, the roll of his eyes and the footsteps that trailed off to the hallway.

Ichigo growled in frustration and anger and stood up from his chair.

"MINORU, GET BACK HERE AND I MEAN NOW!" Ichigo shouted.

After a few minutes of silence, Ichigo heard footsteps fill the area as Minoru walked back to the kitchen area.

"What?" Minoru rudely asked.

Ichigo glared at the boy briefly before he sat back down with his arms crossed.

"Fine. Get out of this kitchen." Ichigo dismissively smirked, his voice like stone. Minoru did as he was told walked away.

Ichigo buried his face in his hands in frustration. "I'm sorry. I'm so embarrassed. I swear, if he only got to know you better-"

"It's okay." Grimmjow said, putting his hand on his Ichigo's leg. "I was 11 with a step-father too."

Ichigo smiled and leaned in and kissed Grimmjow softly on the lips.

"Go talk to him." Grimmjow suggested.

Ichigo nodded and walked out of the kitchen and to Minoru's room. He knocked on the door three times before he heard the sound of the door unlock. Ichigo slowly turned the doorknob and opened the doorknob. Minoru was sitting in his beanie bag chair watching TV and had his back to Ichigo, although he was well aware Ichigo was in the room.

"So, how was school?" Ichigo said as he sat down on the bottom bunk bed.

"Fine."

"Where's Ken'Ichi?"

"On a date with his girlfriend, Loly. Where's Tetsuya?"

"Asleep in his room." Ichigo inhaled almost absent-minded before he continued. "You know, the bathroom? I wanted it cleaned. I told you about it four days ago."

"You can just hire people to do that. Or tell Ken'Ichi. Or Grimmjow."

"No, son. I asked _you_."

"... This isn't even about the bathroom, isn't it?" Minoru said, turning his twisting his neck to look at his father.

"Well Minoru, I don't really give a shit what you think this is about!" Ichigo's voice raised in anger as he stood up. "I just want you to do the things I ask of you!"

Minoru didn't respond.

"And one more thing. Did you have to be rude to Grimmjow?!"

"Man, who gives a shit about him?!" Minoru shouted as he stood up from his beanie bag chair and spun around to face his father, furious glares clashing with each other.

"Hey I do!!" Ichigo shouted. "What's your problem?!"

Minoru didn't respond. He held his glare at his father briefly before he sighed in defeat.

"I know you've upset with me for kicking your father out, and that gives you some sort of charge to challenge me, but I'm still your father and better start treating me like it." Ichigo warned as he headed to the door and opened.

"I wish Dad was here." Minoru muttered under his breath.

"No you don't." Ichigo said as he walked out of the room and shut the door behind him.

"This blows." Minoru said as he slumped back into his beanie bag chair. "You and dad are my parents; Grimmjow will _never_ be."

* * *

**I feel kinda bad for Minoru. Poor guy misses Chad. Please read and review and chapter 2 will be up soon!**


	2. Angels Speak With Jilted Tongues

**Chapter 2**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

**Please enjoy!**

* * *

The month of March had just begun; the long winter was clearing the air and making way for the soft warmth that was the spring. The warm spring air was taking its place, the cherry blossoms were just being born, and the sun was shining its soft heat once again. The clear blue sky, the cherry blossoms, and the warm air made it against the law for anyone to stay indoors. Ken'Ichi was a firm follower in that law.

Him and his girlfriend of three months were followers of this.

Ken'Ichi and his girlfriend were walking along the streets of KaraKura holding hands. While his girlfriend was on her cell phone talking to her sister, Ken'Ichi was simply admiring the beauty he had the opportunity to call his. The girl had a slender and graceful build that she was not the least bit modest about, as shown from the white short shorts, matching crop top, and thigh high boots she had on. She had long black hair tied up in pigtails and light-pink eyes that matched the cherry blossoms. Her bangs reached down on her left side long enough to cover her left eye. She was a pretty girl and their feelings for each other were mutal.

Things seemed to be perfect with her.

"Hahaha!" Loly cackled. "Remember when the two of us jumped her last year, Menoly? We made her cry so hard! Haha! What a total loser bitch!"

Well, almost perfect.

Ken'Ichi's friends didn't seem to like her due to the fact that she always seemed to talk trash about other people constantly. She also had a bad reputation for being very impulsive; she would regularly get into fights over little things. A month back, a boy twice her size bumped into her and she suddenly pounced on him and began to beat him furiously. The boy had to get 17 stitches all over his body. None of Ken'Ichi's friends didn't seem to understand why he was with her or what he even saw in her, but Ken'Ichi didn't care. He liked Loly and Loly liked him and that was all that mattered.

After a few more minutes of walking around without a care, Loly finally shut her cell phone off and snuggled close to Ken'Ichi as they were still walking.

"So, do you wanna catch a movie later?" Loly asked.

Ken'Ichi groaned as he remembered what was planned later on.

"I can't." Ken'Ichi groaned.

"Hey, you ok?" Loly asked, starting to grow concerned. "You've been quiet this whole walk home."

Ken'Ichi moved his bangs away from his eyes and sighed. "My father is bringing his dirtbag boyfriend over for dinner tonight and we're supoosed to care."

"Well.. maybe I could tag along? Offer you backup?"

"It's ok. You don't have to."

"I don't _have_ to. I _want_ to."

"Really, it's okay. It'll be really boring there anyway."

"Ken'Ichi, please." Loly pleaded. "I... I-I just wanna be with you. I really like you."

Ken'Ichi stopped in his tracks looked over to her with a disbelieving gaze.

"You would really do this for me?" Ken'Ichi asked.

Loly nodded and flashed a reassuring smile to her boyfriend. Ken'Ichi smiled back and planted a soft kiss on her lips. Loly pressed her lips back at him and the two stood on the corner of the sidewalk, their lips locked against one another. After what felt like minutes, their lips finally unlocked with the two of them panting slightly.

Ragardless of what other people thought, he was happy with her.

* * *

With the oven mitts for protection of his hands, Ichigo carefully walked over to the table with the platter of chicken noodle casserole and set it in the center of the table with the other appetizers surrounding it. Ichigo sat on one end of the table, while Tetsuya sat on the other end in his highchair. Loly was sitting next to Minoru on the left side of the table and directly across from Ken'Ichi, who was sitting next to Grimmjow on the right side.

"Okay everyone, let's dig in." Ichigo said as everyone took a plate that contained a certain dish. After everyone took some food to their plates, everyone quickly indulged in the hot and sweet-smelling food. For a few moments, all that was heard was the clinging of the metal utensils to the plates. After a few more minutes, Ichigo looked over to Minoru and decided to break the silence.

"You Know, Minoru, I bet Grimmjow knows a ton about sports. He played football, basketball, hockey, swimming, soccer, and cross country when he was in high school." Ichigo said. Minoru looked up from his plate and looked at his father with slight annoyance.

"Hmpth. Did you even finish high school?" Minoru rudely asked.

Ichigo looked up and gave Minoru a warning glare. "Minoru-!"

"It's okay, Ichigo. It's no secret." Grimmjow assured, rubbing Ichigo shoulder with his strong fingers to calm his orange-haired lover down. "I didn't actually, I dropped out in the 11th grade."

Minoru snickered silently. "That's promising."

"So, Jaegerjaquez-san, how long have you and Kurosaki-san been dating?" Loly asked, apparently trying to turn the conversation to somewhere else.

"It's been about five months now." Grimmjow replied while he and Ichigo smiled at each other.

"Yeah, even though my father split up with my dad seven months earlier. How quickly he was able to get over it." Minoru sarcastically remarked, earning another warning glare from Ichigo.

Grimmjow took one more bite of his piece of chicken. "Um, ask me anything, champ. Shoot."

Minoru said nothing and simply stared at Grimmjow with a stoic expression. Then, Minoru's blank stare faded and was replaced with an almost mocking smirk that crept upon his face. Ichigo and saw this and frowned slightly. He didn't like the way Minoru was looking at Grimmjow. He looked like he was about to start some trouble.

"I got a question." Minoru asked, the smirk on his face remaining rock solid.

'Oh boy.' Ken'Ichi thought. He knew something was about to go down.

"So, are you happy I had to miss the game with my dad? You know, the man who busted his butt for this family before he kicked him out?" Those last three words Minoru said through gritted teeth when Minoru shot an angry glare at Ichigo. Ichigo rubbed his temples in frustration, the headache starting to rise. Everyone had paused from their food to look up to see what was going on.

Ken'Ichi scoffed under his breath. "You mean when he was actually around?" the 13-year-old said in Ichigo's defense. Minoru simply laughed sarcastically at his older brother's remark.

"Your unbelieveable." Minoru said to Ken'Ichi, somewhat surprised that his older brother would still defend a random stranger he didn't like rather than his own father who made a few mistakes.

"Uhh.. I'm sorry about that, man." Grimmjow nervously said, shifting uncomfortably in his chair.

Ichigo looked like he wanted to say something, but he apparently didn't have the strength too; he took a deep breath and leaned back into his chair. "You know what? Let's at least _pretend _to act like civilized and enjoy a nice meal for a change. Now is not the time!" Ichigo spat through gritted teeth as he threw yet another glare at Minoru only for Minoru to glare right back.

"Uh, ok! So, uh, Jaegerjaquez-san. What was your best subject in school?" Loly randomly asked, apparently trying to change the subject.

"Well, I am a bit of a math wiz." Grimmjow chuckled.

"When then, can you help me with this one math problem?" Minoru asked. Grimmjow nodded in response.

"A man gets kicked out of his apartment by his lover. The man calls the apartment at least 5 times a day, trying to make things right, but his lover refuses to even pick up the phone. This routine goes on for a year. A year later, the man's lover is now picking up and hanging up the phone on him. How long would it take for the hard-headed lover to come to his senses and go back to the man he loves and drop the dirtbag who keeps crawling out of his bed?"

Everyone stared at Minoru with shock as to what he was actually saying. Grimmjow sighed uncomfortably and stood up from his chair.

"I appreciate your honesty and enjoy the chicken casserole, Minoru." Grimmjow said, trying to keep his cool.

"Wait, Grimmjow. At least let me walk you out." Ichigo pleaded.

"Naw, it's okay." Grimmjow replied as he walked out of the dining area and made his way to the front door. Before Ichigo could even get out of his chair, he heard the open and close of the front door. Ichigo looked over at Minoru, who had absent-minded went back to eating his sweet potato. Ichigo angrily exhaled and finally dropped his fork on his plate with a loud **clink**. "You know what?" I officially just lost my appetite."

To say Ichigo was pissed would've been an understatement.

"Um, I can leave." Loly said.

"Minoru Kurosaki-Sado, there will never be a situation in your life where you feel that it's okay to disrespect me." Ichigo snarled. Ichigo tried to keep his voice calm, but everyone could tell he was boiling with anger. Ken'Ichi was amazed how Ichigo could even managed to stay in his seat.

"Well, Daddy, if Grimmjow wanted to stay, he would've been more persistent." Minoru said in a mocking tone with a fake smile to top it off. Ichigo's scowl grew more intense as he folded his arms and leaned in closer to Minoru.

Minoru continued to eat as if Ichigo didn't say anything.

"Minoru, look at me when I am talking to you!" Ichigo said in a low, dark voice and venom rolling off of each letter. Minoru looked up slightly to meet his father.

"You have some nerve to do the shit you just did tonight." Ichigo said. "I don't care if you're mad that your father left, but let me just tell you: you better straighten up that bad atttude you got going on and fast or I will!

Minoru threw his sweet potato on the floor before he pushed back his chair and stood up, walking away from the scene. Ken'Ichi and Loly gave each other awkward and uncomfortable glances at both each other and Tetsuya, who was in awe as well.

"Pick it up!" Ichigo ordered.

A loud slam of a bedroom door was the only response he got.

* * *

**Sorry it took me so long to put up this chapter. School's been crazy! Please R&R and chapter 3 will be up soon!**


	3. Lay Your Weary Head To Rest

**Chapter 3**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

**Please enjoy!**

* * *

_Knock knock knock!!_

Chad was laying on the couch strumming lazily on his bass guitar. When he heard the knock on the door, he laid his instrument on the couch and got up to answer the doorbell. When he opened the door, he was surprised to see a certain 11-year-old standing in front of his door.

"Minoru" Chad said. "What're you doing here?"

"I kinda got in trouble with Daddy so I snuck out." Minoru sheepishly grinned.

Chad shook his head. "Again, Minoru?"

Minoru could only grin widely in response. Chad smirked slightly and motioned his hand for Minoru to come in. Minoru smiled and walked into his father's home.

* * *

Minoru was sprawled on Chad's couch, playing around with the bass guitar that had previously occupied that space. Chad was in the kitchen, warming up a plate of curry rice for his son. For the past year, Chad had been living in a small apartment on the other side of KaraKura town. It was much smaller than the apartment that the rest of his family had been living in, which did made sense given that Chad was living alone as well as his personality. Then again, Chad worked as an accountant for a small company and Minoru was pretty sure that Chad could afford a more spacious place, but then again this _was _Yasutora Sado. The kitchen was connected with the small living room, where two small couches occupied most of the space. Right down the small hallway was two doors on both sides of the hall. The door on the left led to his bedroom and study, while the door on the right led to the bathroom and shower.

"Dad, why live in such a small place?" Minoru asked. "Surely you could afford something better?"

"It's not that bad." Chad replied. "It is pretty cozy and it is comfortable."

Chad walked out of the kitchen area and handed over the plate of curry rice to his son. Minoru sat upright on the small couch and placed his father's bass guitar standing behind the couch. He took the plate and immediately started to eat.

"Thanks Dad!" Minoru said with his mouth full.

Chad nodded as he sat down on the slightly bigger couch and watched his son hungrily devour the plate of curry rice in mere minutes. After he was finished, Minoru put the licked-clean plate down on the coffee table.

"Minoru, how did you get here?" Chad asked.

"I took the bus." Minoru replied.

"So Ichigo doesn't know where you are?"

"No. He didn't even notice that I was gone. He's been too busy talking Grimmjow off the ledge for the past 3 hours."

"You know you have to apologize to Grimmjow, right?" Chad said.

"Grimmjow is not a good dude, Dad." Minoru's face tensed as he replied coldly. "He deserved to hear what I said to him. He's not good for Daddy. I just know that he'll be a bad influence on him, so I got in his face."

"I know you're frustrated, but you're father-"

"Dad! Doesn't it bother you even just a little that Daddy is doing this?!"

Chad sighed. Minoru was right. It _did _bother him that Ichigo was seeing someone else. Chad actually hated this man just as, if not even more, than the kids did. He and Ichigo had been apart for more than a year now, but he couldn't get over the fact that there was now another man in Ichigo's life. The utter _thought_of Ichigo just _touching_that man what he hated the most. Being with Grimmjow to spite him. To know that Grimmjow was now making love to him like he used to would drive Chad crazy. But at the same time, he had to set a good example for the kids. If they saw him acting that way, they would think it would be the right thing to do. The kids already didn't like the man as it was. As hard as it was, Chad just had to face up to this new reality. After all, what he put Ichigo and the kids through was horrible. _He_ was the one who screwed up. This was his retribution.

When he didn't get a response, Minoru lowered his head. Minoru's bangs covered his eyes but Chad was pretty sure what the young boy was feeling.

"Minoru, this is me now." Chad said as he looked down to try and see Minoru's face. "...Hello?"

"I miss you, dad." Minoru said in a low voice. "We all do."

"I know." Chad softly replied. "I miss you guys too."

Minoru didn't respond. Instead, he stared at the empty plate that stood on the coffee table. He felt like that plate; it once had meaning and had good value, but then it was taken of all there was to take and there was nothing left but an empty plate. The plate was empty. Minoru felt empty.

Chad then got up from the couch and kneeled in front of Minoru and placed his hands on Minoru's shoulders. Minoru kept his eyes locked on the floor when he felt his father's eyes on him.

"Look me in the eyes, Minoru." Chad said. Minoru slowly lifted his head from the floor and his hazel eyes met with his father's brown eyes.

"I'm not any happier about this than you are." Chad said. "I'm living away from my family on the other side of KaraKura, the man I love won't even give me the time of day, and the fact that he has already moved on doesn't make things any better. But I promise, we just have to accept the fact that this is how it has to be for now.

"Dad, I'm sorry, but I just can't accept that. I can't accept Grimmjow."

"I'm asking you to. I'm just acting try and be a little nore understanding of your father and where he's coming from."

Minoru once again lowered his head, his hazel pupils disconnecting with his father's brown ones and meeting with the floor again as his brown locks covered his eyes completely.

"Minoru, I promise.." Chad paused to lift up Minoru's chin. Minoru's eyes were staring back at him through tears that were threatening to fall from his eyes.

"I just want things to go back. Back to the way they were before." Minoru said tearing up.

Chad nodded in sympathy. "We're gonna be alright, Minoru."

Minoru sniffled and shook his head in agreement.

* * *

"Loly, wait up!" Ken'Ichi said as he ran up to his girlfriend in the hallways of the school. Loly ignored him and continued to walk. Ken'Ichi quickened his pace and managed to catch up to her. He patted her on the shoulder indicating for her to stop. Loly rolled her eyes and turned around to face her boyfriend just in front of the stairs.

"Wow, you're actually not ignoring me?" Loly said.

Ken'Ichi hadn't talked or called her in a few days. Ever since that whole episode with Minoru at dinner, Ken'Ichi was too embarrassed to even look at her, let alone talk to her.

"Before you say anything, I know and I'm an idiot." Ken'Ichi said. He grabbed Loly by the shoulders and pulled her in for an embrace, hoping that maybe that would buy him a few points in the forgiveness department. He let out a small sigh of relief when he felt soft hands wrapping around his waist.

"I really am sorry." Ken'Ichi said as they separated from their embrace. "I just didn't know what to say."

"Don't feel embarrased. Think of it as reality TV."

Ken'Ichi chuckled at his girlfriend's comment. "It's just, after that whole thing with my brother-"

"It's okay. He's probably just finding it hard adjusting."

"Don't defend him." Ken'Ichi said. "He not trying to adjust at all. You saw him with my father.

"Well, that's because he's miserable at home. He misses his dad."

Ken'Ichi's face tensed. "Hmph, you mean the man who cheats on his spouse, keeps it a secret for years, and bribes his kids when they eventually find out?"

"..So, I take it you still hold a little ill will towards him?"

Ken'Ichi lowered his head. He felt a little ashamed to still be feeling this way. But again, if Ichigo's personality did change, it was because of Chad who made him that way. If Chad hadn't had done what he did, things would've been different, that's what Ken'Ichi kept telling himself.

Thing is, his insecurities regarding his fathers would've stayed the same.

"..I love my father, it's just... what he put us through.. I still haven't completely forgiven him. Minoru and Tetsuya miss him, but I-I can't just forgive and forget."

"So you want Kurosaki-san to stay with Grimmjow?"

"..No, but I- my Dad- he-" Ken'Ichi stammered with what he wanted to say. He signed and gave up on what he wanted to say to Loly. He would've felt like an ass if he had said what he wanted to say. Then again, he felt like an ass for not saying it. Loly noticed this from the look on his face and sympathized for him by kissing him on the cheek.

"It's okay, Ken. You'll figure it out."

"..Yeah."

* * *

Ken'Ichi grabbed his book-bag from his locker and closed it firm as he made his way out of the building. From the corner of his eye, he saw a certain white haired boy on the staircase. Toshiro was leaning on the stair-rail with one hand in his pocket while the other was pressing digits into his cell phone. Before Ken'Ichi realized it, he found himself walking over to the staircase. He stopped at the top of the stairs and stared down at the boy on the rail.

'He looks so serious.' Ken'Ichi thought to himself. Before Ken'Ichi could take one step down the stairs, he froze when he heard Toshiro's voice. Obviously, the boy could feel Ken'Ichi's glare from all the way downstairs.

"What do you want?" Toshiro asked. His voice was cold and mean and it made Ken'Ichi shiver slightly. Nonetheless, Ken'Ichi took one step down the staircase with his hand holding the rail.

"Um, hi." Ken'Ichi replied.

"Answer my question. What do you want?"

"Uh, I was, uh.." Ken'Ichi was trying to think of something to say. He didn't want to look dumb by just saying nothing. He had to come up with something to say.

"You were just what?"

"You and I have Amegai-san the same period right?"

"What's your point?"

"You know that project Amegai-san bombed us with yesterday?"

"Yea.."

"...What is it about?"

Ken'Ichi felt like kicking himself for asking such a dumb and random question, but the conversation was already taking a downhill turn.

"Create a newspaper or whatever." Toshiro's eyes were locked on his cell phone. He even look up to Ken'Ichi.

"Oh, so um, do you want to do the project.. together?"

Toshiro stopped pressing the digits into his phone and looked up to meet Ken'Ichi's eyes. Ken'Ichi was a little intimidated by the boy's intense glare, but there was something strangely... tranquil about it. Toshiro's turquoise eyes were locked onto Ken'Ichi's brown eyes. What they saw were soft yet garish colors that they could get lost in. Peaceful eyes that were shining into each other and both of the beholders didn't seem to mind. The small moment was interrupted by Toshiro, who quickly turned his head to the other side to face the wall.

"Okay." Toshiro said in a quickened whisper, but was loud enough to be heard by Ken'Ichi. Ken'Ichi simply nodded and walked back up the one stair and resumed his way out of the building. Ken'Ichi rubbed his head in slight frustration. Why did he get get so tongue-tied and flustered with Toshiro just now? When a realization crossed his mind, he blushed a faint color of red that faded across his face as he hastened his steps.

As much as he tried not to think about it, he had to admit it.

He hadn't been that way since he first met his girlfriend Loly.

* * *

**Sorry it took so long with this. Lets just say I'm having family issues. Please R&R and chapter 4 will be up very soon.**


	4. When You Know You've Done Wrong

**Chapter 4**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

**Please... enjoy!**

* * *

_Ring Ring!!_

"Ugh, who could that be?" Toshiro groaned as he got out of his chair to answer the telephone that was on the drawer on the other side of his bedroom. When he checked the caller ID to see who it was, his heart sank in anxiousness and fear and he slowly picked up the phone.

"H-Hello?" Toshiro said in a low whisper.

"Toshiro-kun?" the voice replied. "It's me, Momo."

"What is it?"

"It's your grandmother." Momo replied. "Her condition isn't getting any better."

Toshiro's face began to weaken and his stomach sank lower when he heard this.

"A-Are you sure?"

"... Yeah. In fact, the doctors said that it's getting worse." Momo replied in a soft whisper.

Toshiro could feel his stomach tie itself into knots. He could deal with this. Not now.

"So you called me in the middle of the night just to tell me this?!" Toshiro's voice began to rise in anger and frustration. "I don't want to hear it!"

"Stop running away, Toshiro-kun! You can't keep hiding from the fact that she's-" An angry slam of the phone curtailed what Momo was trying to say. Toshiro brushed his hands passed his white hair and rubbed his temples in frustration. He could feel the tears stinging his eyes, but he stubbornly refused to let them fall. Despite this, he could feel his breaths coming up short and jagged as he put his hand on his chest in an attempt to calm himself down.

He looked over to his desk. Before Momo had called, he was finishing the newspaper project that he and Ken'Ichi had been partnered together to do. He walked over slowly over to the desk and picked up Ken'Ichi's articles. For their project, they were supposed to have made a newspaper that contained five fictitious articles. The two boys agreed that while Toshiro layed out the design of the newspaper, Ken'Ichi would come up with the articles. After that was done, Toshiro would've have pasted the articles into the newspaper and turn it into their teacher.

Toshiro picked up Ken'Ichi's articles and skimmed through each of them.

Suddenly, Toshiro angrily ripped the small stack of papers to shreds, tearing the paper and turning it to the side only to tear it again, grunting madly with each tear while throwing some pieces on the ground and on his desk. He continued this pattern until the pieces became too small to rip. Breathing heavily and slightly panicky, Toshiro sat down on the edge of his bed and stared at the ripped up articles scattered all over the floor and on his desk.

"Oh god, what have I done? It's due tomorrow." Toshiro said as he buried his face in his hands. How was he going to explain this to Ken'Ichi?

* * *

"Okay, and last but not least, Hitsugaya and Kurosaki-Sado." Amegai said as he held out the graded newspaper project. Toshiro quickly got up to take the project but Ken'Ichi had already beat him to the front desk. Toshiro sighed anxiously, hoping that Ken'Ichi wouldn't open the newspaper and would just be satisfied with just seeing the grade.

"Toshiro, we got an 'A'!" Ken'Ichi said to the white-haired boy as he help up the newspaper that had the "A" grade that was on the upper right corner of the newspaper in red ink.

"Great, now just give it-" Toshiro's voice trailed off when he saw Ken'Ichi open the article to look inside. He knew he was too late when he saw Ken'Ichi's face gradually weaken in confusion with each turn of a page. When he reached the end of the article, Ken'Ichi looked over to Toshiro with a confused and slightly angry look.

"Toshiro, what happened to my articles?" said Ken'Ichi. The bell rang seconds later, with each student running out the door. Toshiro and Ken'Ichi stood exactly in place, unfazed by the stampede of students and Amegai rushing to go home.

"What happened to my articles, Hitsugaya?" Ken'Ichi said with his voice increasing slightly with anger.

Toshiro chuckled nervously. "I, uh, I didn't put them in."

"Why not?"

Toshiro sighed. He didn't want to tell Ken'Ichi that he tore them up in rage and he definitely couldn't tell him why. There was no way he would understand. He had to come up with something and quick.

"They reeked with grammar and puncuation mistakes. Guess I didn't feel like sending it in."

Ken'Ichi looked at the boy with disbelief. "So, you couldn't have at least told me before hand that you were going to do something like this?"

"Well, journalism is about telling the truth. And the truth is... your articles suck."

Ken'Ichi shot the boy an angry glare but was countered with Toshiro's scowl.

"I don't see why you're getting so emotional. We got an 'A'." Toshiro pointed out.

"And it would've been an "A+" if you had at took my stuff into consideration!"

"I did take it into consideration, and I considered it crap!"

Toshiro knew he went to far, attacking Ken'Ichi for no reason. But as long as he had his private life hidden, he didn't care. Ken'Ichi looked at the boy with slight disgust.

"Why are you being this way?" Ken'Ichi said in a mix of confusion and anger. "If you didn't wanna work with me, fine, but the how could you not even warn me!"

Toshiro sucked his teeth. "You don't get that it was pathetic, do you?"

"The only thing I don't get is why I thought you and me could ever cooperate." Ken'Ichi crumbled their newspaper project and threw it on the floor.

"Stuck-up asswipe! My friends were so right about you!" Ken'Ichi shouted as he took off for the door. Toshiro sighed heavily. He didn't mean any of the things he had just said. What were they even fighting for? It was stupid to fight over something so dumb.

"Ken'Ichi wait!" Toshiro shouted but Ken'Ichi had already slammed the door shut behind him.

Toshiro rubbed his forehead as he slumped back down in a nearly chair in the empty classroom, feeling a headache coming on.

"Nice going, Toshiro." the white-haired boy muttered sarcastically under his breath.

* * *

"Kurosaki-kun!" said Hachigen Ushoda. "I'm so glad you could make it."

He and Ichigo shook hands as Ichigo pulled out a chair from underneath the round table and sat down. Sitting next to Ichigo were three more of Minoru's teachers: Kaname Tosen, Shinji Hirako, and Love Aikawa.

"Ushoda-san, so what seems to be the problem with Minoru?"

The round man nodded at his fellow peers who in turn, nodded back at him. "We called this parent-teacher meeting because we're worried about your son."

"Humph, that's an understatement." muttered Shinji.

"His behavior has been very troubling for the past few months." added Love Aikawa.

Ichigo let out an annoyed exhale and rubbed his head in frustration. But then again, it wasn't really all that surprising for Ichigo. If Minoru was acting up at home, what made Ichigo think that school wouldn't be an exception? "Exactly how bad has his behavior been?"

"His grades are falling drastically." Hachi replied. "His highest grade right now is a 'C'. It's getting so bad that if he doesn't pull up his grades, he might get held back."

"Not only that, He has cut class 10 times in the last two months, received 7 detentions in the last three weeks, and has gotten into 2 fights this past week alone." said Tosen.

Ichigo sat in his chair and continued to listen to the things Minoru had done. A good two minutes went by and they were still venting about Minoru.

"He has been caught stealing from the vending machines and vandalizing school property." added Love.

"He has been shrewdly disrespectful, rude, obnoxious, condescending, and misbehaving. In fact earlier today, when he was talking in the middle of my lesson, I told him to be quiet and he called me the 'C' word and walked out." Shinji Hirako.

"Minoru had always been such a good student. Then something just changed." Hachi continued. "He have sat him down and tried to talk to him on multiple occasions, but he simply refused to tell us what the problem was. We've sent him to counselors and everything."

Ichigo shifted in his chair uncomfortably and smiled a sheepish grin. They all probably thought that it was all Ichigo's fault for Minoru's problems, and honestly, they weren't that far off. With Chad leaving the way he did and Grimmjow coming in the way he did, of course it would have a negative effect on him. Ichigo felt bad for not talking to Minoru about this.

"We didn't want to come to this conclusion without your knowledge, but if his misbehavior continues like this, we'll have to take disciplinary actions." Hachi said.

"What he means is that we'll expel if he doesn't clean up his act." Tosen corrected.

Ichigo's stomach sank into itself when he heard the word "expel". Minoru's behavior had gotten _that_out of control. He couldn't believe he had let his son act up like this and not even try to see if he had brought this outside of their home. Now, his son was faced with the possibility if expulsion, and he felt like it was his fault. He had to explain Minoru's behavior situation to his teachers.

"I guess this is my fault." Ichigo sheepishly remarked. "You see, me and my partner, Yasutora Sado, seperated a year ago and Minoru's been-"

Shinji nearly jumped out of his seat and pointed his finger at Ichigo. "A-ha! I knew it! So this does all trace back to the family!"

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "And what exactly does that mean?"

"It makes perfect sense now." Shinji said. "With his other father gone, Minoru has been acting up for attention because he feels neglected by the rest of the family, including you."

"What? N-No! That's not entirely-" Ichigo pleaded.

"Not entirely true? Kurosaki-kun, did you know I caught Minoru with a lighter on school grounds the other day?" Love asked.

"... No I didn't, but I see the school is still standing." Kurosaki replied.

"Everyone please.." Hachi pleaded but he was ignored as the three men continued.

"And what about the time he stole my wallet and spent nearly 400 yen?!" Shinji's voice was starting to rise.

"Or when he mooned the superintenient last month?" Tosen added.

"Everyone...!" Hachi pleaded.

Ichigo crossed his arms and leaned back into his chair, looking slightly offended. "Look I know Minoru is no angel, but I am doing my best."

"Well your best clearly isn't good enough, Kurosaki-kun." Tosen remarked. "I'm sure your son is a handful."

Ichigo scowled at Tosen and gave him a offended look. "I can take care my son, Tosen-san."

Shinji chuckled. "Well maybe if you and Sado-kun were still together-"

"Shinji-kun!" Hachi said in a disbelieving tone. Ichigo simply stared at the blonde man with disgust.

"What? He's just being honest." Tosen defended. "In fact, if Minoru had an actual mother and a proper family in his life-"

Tosen!" Hachi said in a disbelieving tone.

"He has a point." Love added. "Minoru could benefit greatly from having a motherly figure around him instead of constantly being around gay men."

It took Ichigo every last ounce of control to not get up and punch all three of Minoru's teachers. He couldn't believe that he actually sat in that chair and listen to these men turn the table on him. Ichigo wasn't a perfect parent and he knew that; but his sexuality and the men he dated had nothing to do with what was going on with Minoru. The strawberry-blonde looked at the three men with a dirty, digusted, and offended look. He couldn't bear to listen to one more word of what these people had to say.

"Kurosaki-san, I apologize sincerly." Hachi said. "Let me-"

"It was very nice to meet you." Ichigo spat in gritted teeth, cutting off the round purple-haired man. Without another word, he got up and made for the door.

* * *

**Issues at home aren't really getting any better. That and schoolwork. Please R&R and chapter 5 will be up soon.**


	5. Wanting More From Me Part 1

**Chapter 5**

**Disclaimer: I do not Bleach**

**Warning: slight sexual content. Limey or whatever.**

**Please enjoy!!**

* * *

"Minoru?" Ichigo slowly opened the door to his son's room. He saw Minoru in front of the computer, playing solitaire. The opening and close of the door didn't seem to faze Minoru, as he kept his eyes on the computer screen without so mch as a quick glance. Ichigo walked over to the bunk bed that Minoru shared with his older brother and sat down.

"Minoru, can we please talk?" Ichigo softly asked.

Minoru kept silent for a few minutes before he said something. "What is it now?" Minoru finally replied, his back still to his father. "Am I in trouble?"

"Well, no. I wanted to talk."

Minoru didn't respond. He firmly kept his gaze at the computer monitor, absent-mindly clicking on the mouse while playing his game.

Ichigo sighed. "You're not a bad person, ok?"

Minoru then stopped clicking on the mouse but he still kept his gaze at the computer screen.

"Look, I'm sorry for the way I've been acting. I haven't been myself ever since... well, you know."

Minoru let out a small sigh, but still refused to turn around, keeping his defenses up.

"I realize that I haven't been paying much attention to you guys. What, with leaving you guys to make your own meals, bringing home strange guys... I guess I never stopped to realize how you felt."

Minoru twisted his neck just a little to look at Ichigo, but he still didn't turn towards his father.

"You never even asked us how we felt after you kicked Dad out. Not one time."

Ichigo didn't respond.

"I mean, did it ever occur to you that _we_ were hurting? That _we_were mad? Or sad? Or just confused? Did it, Daddy?"

Ichigo uncomfortably brushed his hand past his orange hair as his son continued.

"Did you ever take into consideration how we were after all that happened? Or when you kept bringing home those douchebags from the bars?! Did it?!" Minoru's voice began to rise in anger as he angrily banged his fist on the computer desk.

Minoru could see from the corner of his eye that Ichigo buried his face in the palms of his hands in frustration and take a deep breath. He rolled his eyes and turned back around to the computer, only for him to turn around completely a few seconds later. Feeling the heat of Minoru's eyes, Ichigo looked up to see his son's staring at him face to face.

"You're not a bad person either, Daddy. I-I haven't exactly been a candidate for the son of the year award myself." Minoru said. "I could've been nicer to Grimmjow. Even I had to admit, that stunt the other day wasn't exactly a prince charming move."

"Minoru, I like Grimmjow, alot. He is the first guy since your dad that I actually liked on a mental level and not just as some random one-night stand."

Daddy, how could you just move on so quickly?" Minoru asked. "I mean, help me understand."

Ichigo opened his mouth to speak, but the words couldn't make it past his throat. He just didn't know how to explain what he wanted to say to Minoru.

Minoru sighed. "I just don't get why all the cloak and dagger, especially since its been a year later."

Ichigo looked down on the ground trying how he could describe it to his son. He got off the bed and kneeled in front of Minoru.

"I envy you and your brothers sometimes, Minoru." Ichigo began. "You guys don't know the pain of getting hurt and feeling betrayed by the one you love. And honestly, I hope you never do. It's not fun. It clouds your judgement, It makes you feel all these wicked emotions of anger and resentment, and no matter what we may say or do afterwards, it doesn't just go away. It stays with us for a while."

Minoru looked down onto the floor as his father continued.

"Your father hurt me. More than you know." Ichigo continued. "And it's not easy to just let it go and go back to him. Anyone who's ever loved and lost will understand. I mean, he cheated on me. Had an affair behind my back for 2 years. He even gave me an STD. I can't.." Ichigo choked up briefly before he resumed. "Anyway, I hope you never feel that pain, but when you do, just know that it's what your daddy is feeling right now and it sucks. To just let it go and carry on like nothing is wrong is easier said then done. Way easier."

Minoru didn't know what to say to his father. He just hung his head low and felt his father softly kiss him on the forehead before standing off and making his way to the door.

Minoru sighed deeply. 'I'll apologize to Grimmjow tomorrow.' the young boy thought to himself.

* * *

School books that were placed on the edge of the bed were pushed carelessly to the floor. Ken'Ichi and Loly both heard the loud thud of books, but they ignored it and continued with their lips locked together.

The two were supposed to have been studying for an important exam that following day in Loly's house, but they were too preoccupied in their own "session" to remember. Or even care, for that matter.

As Ken'Ichi laid next to her, the young boy's hands wandered all over his girlfriend's body, his left arm supporting her back, while his right arm was caressing the soft skin of her thighs. Loly's hands that had been wrapped around her boyfriend's neck since the beginning of their "session" began to descend. Her small and dainty hands roamed all over Ken'Ichi's body: she rubbed his broad shoulders and descended down to his stomach. Ken'Ichi moaned softly in their kiss when she slid her fingers underneath his blue-and black striped t-shirt and caressed the firm yet soft stomach underneath.

Loly didn't stop there as she pulled her hands out of her boyfriend's shirt and continued farther down. Ken'Ichi broke the kiss gasped when he felt her hand on his crotch and rub the almost aching erection underneath. Slightly panting, she smiled and moved her lips to her boyfriend's neck and sucked lightly at the sensitive skin, causing the young boy to close his eyes and bit his lip.

When Ken'Ichi felt the buckle of his belt being tugged at, Ken'Ichi suddenly realized what this was leading to. He opened his mouth to speak, only for Loly to recapture his lips once again while still undoing the boy's belt.

"Loly-" Ken'Ichi uttered while trying to pull away his girlfriend, away from him, only for her to cup his cheeks with his hands and reconnect her mouth with his again, kissing him passionately.

"Loly-" Ken'Ichi quickly uttered again but Loly went on as if he didn't even say anything. Ken'Ichi kept tugging his girlfriend away but she somehow still managed to pull back and kiss him more fiercely.

"Whoa, whoa, Loly, Loly, Loly, stop, hey stop." Ken'Ichi said gasping slightly when he finally managed to pull his girlfriend away from him long enough for her to cease her actions. Both teenagers laid sprawled out on her bed gasping for air while wiping the drool from the corners of their lips. The two of them both sat up and leaned on the bedpost that was behind them.

"Loly, I..."

"I love you." Loly said spontaneously.

Ken'Ichi froze in confusion when he heard those three words escape from his girlfriend's mouth. Loly frowned gradually when she saw the dumbfounded look on her boyfriend's face.

"Um, I'm... uh... flattered." Ken'Ichi said, still very confused. "But I-"

"I know." Loly interrupted. "We've only been dating for three months and I'm probably moving too fast, but you just had to know. I've been keeping that in for too long."

"Loly, I can't-"

"It's okay if you don't have an answer rigt now, but I just had to say something. It had been on my my mind for so long." Loly smiled shyly and looked down on her mattress, blushing a faint color of pink. Ken'Ichi shifted uncomfortably on his girlfriend's bed. The two sat in awkward silence for a few moments, Ken'Ichi staring at the wall while Loly straightened out her hair. After a while, Loly finally broke the ice.

"Ummm.. do you wanna stay over?"

"What?" Ken'Ichi nervously chuckled.

"On Friday, dummy." Loly jokingly replied. "After my party that I told you about last week."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean by... you know." Loly blushed a bright shade of red as she was too embarrassed to continue.

When it registered what Loly was trying to say, Ken'Ichi turned a bright shade of red and his heart began to race within his system and his body stood immobile. Why would Loly want to bring _that_up so early in a relationship that had only been going on for three months and at the tender age of thirteen? Did she like Ken'Ichi _that_ much?

Ken'Ichi nervously chuckled and sheepishly grinned at his girlfriend.

* * *

Ken'Ichi just couldn't do it. Standing in the pharmacy shop in front of a certain shelf, holding a certain box, with some of the customers eyeing him from all corners of the room, he just couldn't walk up to the cashier and buy what he needed. It was so embarrassing. He could almost feel his red blush almost stinging his cheeks.

'My god, why am I here?' Ken'Ichi asked himself mentally.

Ken'Ichi stared hard at the packet of rubber barrier devices and took a deep breath.

'I like her alot, but why wait?' Ken'Ichi thought. 'I-I mean, I'm gonna feel the same way about her after as I do now, right?'

Ken'Ichi attempted to move over to the cashier which was on the other side of the room, but he found himself immobile as he was blushing furiously.

'N-No, I can't go through with this.' Ken'Ichi realized. 'What if she changes and starts treating me like crap? And besides, we're way too young and we haven't even been dating for that long.'

Ken'Ichi shook his head to remove the doubt in his mind. He was already there holding the packet of contraceptives in his hand. He couldn't back out now. And besides, it was better to be safe than sorry.

"Suck it up, Ken'Ichi. You can do this." the young boy told himself in a low voice as he turned around to make for the cash register, only to yelp in surprise and hastily hide the packet of contraceptives behind his back when he saw a certain figure standing in front of him.

"Ken'Ichi? Is that you?"

Ken'Ichi could only blush bright red in shock and embarrassment at the tall, muscular, mexican man he had not seen in weeks standing before him.

"H-Hey dad."

* * *

**Please R&R and chapter 6 will be up really soon! It's about to get really interesting! The best has yet to come!**


	6. Wanting More From Me Part 2

**Chapter 6**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

**Warning: Sexual content and alcohol usage.**

**Please... enjoy**

* * *

Ken'Ichi stared in shock at his father, Chad, who he had not seen in a few weeks. He tightly clenched the packet of condoms in his fist behind his back to make sure that Chad couldn't see them. He was holding it so tightly, he was pretty sure that his had crushed the small box of contraceptives, but he didn't care as long as Chad didn't see them.

"How have you been?" Chad asked. "And everyone else?"

"We've all been uh.. pretty good." Ken'Ichi said, trying to keep his cool.

Ken'Ichi held the item in his closed hand behind his back, but it didn't take long at all for Chad to figure out what Ken'Ichi was trying to do. Chad smirked when he realized what was going on which made Ken'Ichi even more uneasy.

"What's behind your back?" Chad asked.

"N-Nothing." Ken'Ichi nervously replied.

Chad looked over Ken'Ichi's shoulder to see what he was trying to hide. Ken'Ichi leaned back in a desperate attempt to hide it, but he knew that his father was too big a man to fall for something like that. Highly unusual for his character, Chad busted out laughing. Ken'Ichi stared blankly at his father while he felt the heat of everyone else's eyes from all four corners of the pharmacy.

"Hehe I'm sorry, Ken." Chad chuckled.

"Okay, how do know?" Ken'Ichi said flatly as he took the crushed boxes of condoms from behind his back and put them on top of a nearby shelf.

"A teenage boy by himself in a pharmacy store. Doesn't get much more obvious than that." Chad replied, still chuckling softly. "That and you're standing in the sexual health aisle in front of the condom shelf."

The young teen turned around and saw that he was still standing in front of the shelf which was marked "Contraceptives" in big, bold, highlighted colors. Feeling humiliated, he lowered his head while trying to hide the bright pink blush that invaded his face. Chad simply smiled as he put his hands on Ken'Ichi's shoulders.

"Don't feel embarressed. I was a teenager too. We've all been through it. Every one of us." Chad reassured. His reassurance apparently worked because the young boy tilt his head up and smiled at his father.

"I guess that's true." Ken'Ichi sheepishly grinned.

"You're really growing up, aren't you?" Chad asked. "You're being responsible by using protection."

"Yeah. Too bad you weren't." Ken'Ichi put his hand over his mouth in shock over what he just said. He didn't mean to blurt that out and he knew he took it too far.

"Sorry Dad." Ken'Ichi whispered softly.

Chad frowned gradually at his son's remark and took his hands off of his son's shoulders. He still clearly remembered what had happened to Ichigo because of what he had done with Nova. He felt so guilty and had beat himself up so many times for that and several other things.

"No you were right, Ken'Ichi. I did deserve that."

Ken'Ichi and Chad both looked away in different directions and sighed. After a few minutes of awkward silence, Chad looked back at his son who was still looking away.

"So who's the lucky girl?"

"Her name's Loly. We've been dating for three months now."

"Oh! Wow that's, that's great. I had no idea."

"The things you miss when you leave your family, huh?"

Ken'Ichi was still looking away, but he saw out of the corner of his eye that he father sighed heavily and began to walk away. He felt like an ass for what he had said. He rolled his eyes and walked over to him, stopping him.

"So how are things in western KaraKura?" Ken'Ichi asked.

"Great. Good. Okay. Not too bad. Terrible actually." Chad confessed, rubbing his head. "I miss you guys so much."

"Have you tried telling Daddy that?"

"I would and believe me I've tried, but that would involve him actually returning my phone calls."

"So why don't you tell him in person? I'll be gone, but Minoru and Tetsuya would be so happy so see you. They really missed you. and even though he doesn't want to admit it, Daddy misses you too. A lot."

"Okay I will. Thanks, Ken'Ichi."

"Anytime, Dad." Ken'Ichi said as he nodded his head and smiled at his father.

Despite everything they had went through, Ken'Ichi missed his father too.

* * *

Minoru took a deep breath and walked into the mechanic shop that Grimmjow worked in. There were bright lights in the ceiling at the corners of the large mechanic shop and spilled oil on certain parts of the floor which Minoru made sure to avoid. There was graffiti written on some of the walls and even on the vehicles. There was also the sound of buzzing in the background, which made Minoru slightly uncomfortable.

Minoru walked around the shop to try and find Grimmjow. After a few minutes, he spotted the teal-haired man in the far right corner changing the tires of a minivan. He looked different than he normally did. Grimmjow had on a plain white t-shirt which had some black oil stains on it. His black cargo pants had some white stains on it as well.

"Oi, Grimmjow!" Minoru shouted.

Grimmjow looked over his shoulder to find the 11-year-old waving from the other side of the shop. He put down the replacement tire and pulled out a handkerchief from his pant pocket to wipe the oil from his hands as he hastily walked over to Minoru.

"Minoru!" Grimmjow shouted in response. "What are you doing here?"

Minoru closed his eyes and took another deep breath and began what he wanted to say. "Umm... Look I-I just wanted to apologize for being such a pain in the ass to you. I was out of line."

Grimmjow could only smile at Minoru. "It's alright.."

"N-No, it's not." Minoru remarked. "It's just I'm still pretty messed up... about everything."

Grimmjow kneeled in front of Minoru and took a quick glance at his hands to make sure that they were void of any oil stains before placing his right hand on the young boy's shoulder.

"It's okay, Minoru." Grimmjow reassured. " hat's the thing with parents. When something happens, they tell you not to let it affect you, but it still does and it sucks."

"Y-Yeah. That's exactly how I feel." Minoru said softly. "How..?"

"It's just I understand the pain that you're all going through." Grimmjow said. "Me and my brothers went through the same thing with my step-dad, Aizen. But we stuck it out with him and eventually we warmed up to him. Before we realized it, we were even calling him Dad."

Minoru was starting to feel bad about the way he had treated Grimmjow before. Now that he came to think of it, Minoru had never even given Grimmjow a real chance. He automatically wrote him off as a douchebag when he first met him. He had always acted rude and mean to him whenever he was around. He thought Grimmjow was a bad dude, but now that he was having an actual conversation with him, Grimmjow wasn't all that bad. In fact, he seemed kind of cool.

"Yeah. Well, I also wanted to thank you."

Grimmjow gave the boy a confused glance for a brief moment.

"Thank me? For what?"

"For making my father so happy. He hasn't been in this good a mood since he.. split up with my Dad. He was really depressed and for a long while me and my brothers weren't sure if he would ever get out of it."

"I like Ichigo alot." Grimmjow said. "He's really had an impact on me too. I mean, I even find myself getting off of work early just to be with him. He's amazing. Him and his whole family."

Minoru nodded slightly as Grimmjow continued.

"You're a good kid, Minoru. A _strong_ one, too."

Minoru then looked at his watch to find that it was almost 3:30 in the afternoon. He quickly remembered that the next bus that would take him home woud leave in a few minutes. He had to go catch the bus to get back home.

"Uh the next bus will be here in a few minutes. I should probably get to the bus stop." Minoru said, pointing at the exit.

"Go." Grimmjow whispered as he motioned his hand for Minoru to get going.

"Okay. Thank you."

"Welcome."

Minoru smiled and hurried off to the exit. He took one last look at Grimmjow and waved good-bye. Grimmjow got up from off the floor and waved good-bye at Minoru as well he the young boy walked out of the mechanic shop.

The same moment Minoru walked out, a sadistic grin crept upon Grimmjow's face as he erupted into sinister laughing, his minacious laughs echoing throughout the shop.

_"I can't believe he actually felt for all that shit I just said." _Grimmjow said in a low but fierce whisper. _"What a little bitch, just like the rest of his family."_

* * *

Ichigo was sprawled out on the couch watching TV in the living room of his apartment. He was exhuasted from working all day at the hospital and even decided to pick up Tetsuya from daycare early because he didn't feel like leaving the house again once his he got back home. He looked over to the corner of the room and smiled at the peaceful 3-year-old boy happily playing with his action figures. Tetsuya always seemed to not have a care in the world. The young boy was always smiling and laughing and having a good time, no matter what problems were going on around him.

_Knock Knock Knock!_

Ichigo groaned. It was times like these when he wished that Tetsuya was old enough to answer the doorbell. The strawberry blonde got and walked lazily to the door. He unlocked the door and turned the knob, assuming it was Ken'Ichi or Minoru.

"Ken'Ichi, is that-" Ichigo trailed off as he saw the man that was once his lover standing in his doorway.

It was Chad.

Ichigo gave his former lover a dirty look and was about to slam the door in his face, but a quick flash of air blew past him and Tetsuya had already ran up and clung to Chad's leg before he could get the chance.

"Papa, Papa!" Tetsuya happily squealed. "I'm so happy you're back! I missed you so much!"

Chad smiled and picked up Tetsuya and held him on top of his arm.

"I missed you too, little guy." Chad said as he took his view from Tetsuya to Ichigo. "There's alot of things that I miss."

Ichigo simply rolled his eyes and walked away into the kitchen.

"Well, I missed you more!" Tetsuya said.

"Oh really?" Chad said as he negan playfully tickling Tetsuya. The young boy laughed and tried to tickle Chad as well as he felt the strong hands of his father tickling him. After a few minutes, Chad let down Tetsuya, who was still giggling, and bent over to meet his face.

"I wanna speak to your Dad, okay?" Chad whispered, playfully patting Tetsuya's blonde hair.

The young boy nodded and walked back over to where his action figures were. Chad silently walked over to the kitchen area, were Ichigo was washing the dishes in the sink. Ichigo could feel Chad's presence from behind him, but he absent-mindedly continued to wash the plates in the sink.

"Ichigo--"

"You can't just barge in here anytime." Ichigo spat in a cold tone.

"I-I know and I'm sorry. It's just, I thought I'd come by give you money for the rent in person instead of by mail."

Ichigo said nothing as he continued to wash the dishes, his eyes hidden underneath his orange bangs. Chad pulled out a crumbled yet rather thick envelope from his back pocket and placed it on the counter next to the fridge.

"Uh, I got something else for you." Chad said as he fished in his front right pocket and pulled out a long and thin gift box. Ichigo sighed, but still refused to turn around, keeping his defenses up.

"I've had this for a while now." Chad said. "I thought maybe you should have it. I'll just, I'll leave this here."

Chad stretched over and placed his gift next to the envelope. He briefly looked over to see if Ichigo was looking at him, but Ichigo's eyes and face were focused on the sink. In fact, the water was still running, but Ichigo wasn't washing anymore. He had his hands on the sides of the sink and his shoulders were hunched up, almost as if he was waiting for Chad to leave. Chad leaned back and awkwardly left for the front door. When Chad walked up to the door, he turned back around to face his former lover again, who still had his back turned.

"I love you, and I'm sorry."

Those words made Ichigo shiver despite his best efforts to keep his composure.

As Ichigo heard the doorknob turning and the sound of the door swing open, he could hear Tetsuya and Chad saying good-bye to each other. Tetsuya seemed to have been holding onto him as well, he Ichigo heard small footsteps running up to Chad and Chad telling him not to squeeze so hard on his leg and that he was getting stronger.

When he heard the door gently close, Ichigo slowly turned around to see if Chad was still there. The strawberry sighed a small breath of relief when he saw that he wasn't. Ichigo turned his gaze to the box that was lying on the counter. He didn't anything to do with the box that was associated with Chad, but curiosity got the better of him as he slowly reached out for the box.

Ichigo took a deep breath and opened the box. He gasped in surprise as he stared in awe at the flawless jewelry inside. It was a 10k gold necklace carved into the shape of a Chinese symbol that meant "Loyalty". It was stunning and looked like something Asain royalty would wear.

"It's perfect." Ichigo whispered in awe. "It's absolutely perfect."

Contradicting to what he had just said, Ichigo quickly shut the box and dumped it into a nearby trash bin.

"Perfect." Tetsuya sarcastically whispered as he sadly watched his father walk off into his room and firmly shut the door.

* * *

The song "Shake It" by Metro Station was blaring at full volume while the rather large living room was completely crowded with teenagers who were doing just as the song told them to. The party was completely crowded and looked like it was beginning to get out of control; their were two girls who had gotten on top of a table stool, took off their tops, and starting dancing with each other. Their were several guys (and a few girls) that surrounded that table and screamed for the girls to "don't stop there".

Ken'Ichi and Hiyori were leaning against the stair rail with their arms crossed, trying not to pay attention to the wild party they were amidst.

"Where's Dan?" Ken'Ichi asked. Hiyori chuckled and pointed to the blonde-haired boy in a corner making out with some girl, with made Ken'Ichi half-laugh.

What about Lilynette?" Hiyori asked. Ken'Ichi grinned and also pointed to another far corner in the room, where Lilynette was making out shamelesly with some guy named Wonderweiss.

"Are you sure you wanna go through with this?" Hiyori shouted, trying to drown out the loud music. "It sounds like she brought it up last minute."

"Yes I'm sure." Ken'Ichi replied. "And she did, but I really like her alot. Besides, I bought condoms just a few hours ago. We'll be totally protected."

"I don't know if you should do this, Ken." Hiyori shouted skeptically. "It seems like she's really experienced. Maybe a little _too _experienced."

"What are you trying to say?!" Ken'Ichi shouted in an offended tone.

"I'm saying she's a slut!"

"I can't believe you would even say that!" Ken'Ichi shouted, shocked that his friend would dare suggest something like that. "This is gonna be our first time for the both of us!"

Hiyori sighed. "Ken'Ichi, I should've have warned you sooner about this.

"About what?"

"About Loly." Hiyori began. My and her went to the same elementary school. Let's just say she was she got alot of experience points."

Ken'Ichi's face weakened slightly. "What does that mean? She went out with a lot of guys?"

"I'm not sure if there was much "going out" involved."

"Gee, what a way to pep talk a guy before his first time, huh?" Ken'Ichi sarcastically remarked.

"I'm just saying maybe you should rethink before you go in too deep. What if she changes and breaks up with you for someone else days later?"

"Why would she wanna do that? After loving me, she won't be able to love another." Ken'Ichi smirked. Hiyori simply rolled her eyes at her friend's remark.

"I'm being serious." Hiyori said. "If you're really gonna do this, make sure it actually means something to the both of you."

Ken'Ichi scratched his head in slight frustration. "Okay, now you're starting to rain on my parade. I'll see you later."

Ken'Ichi walked away from his blonde-haired friend and into the sea of wild teens as he made his way through the crowd and to the kitchen. When he walked up to the kitchen table to grab a bag of chips, he shivered when he felt two dainty hands rub on his shoulders. He turned his head to see it was Loly.

"I'm counting the minutes." Loly lustfully whispered into Ken'Ichi's ear, which made him shiver.

"Me too." Ken'Ichi replied as he kiss her softly on the cheek. "Just a hint of what's to come."

Loly smiled. "I'll gotta go check on the party."

Ken'Ichi nodded and Loly walked joyously back into the living room. When she was out of his sight, Ken'Ichi walked over and opened the refrigerator and saw a bottle of Vodka. Taking a quick glance around him to make sure that nobody was looking, Ken'Ichi pulled it out and popped it open. He took a nearby cup and poured the alcohol into it.

Whatever doubts he was having, this would reassure him to what he wanted.

* * *

Ken'Ichi stumbled wobbly out of the kitchen and back into the mob of dancing teens with a cup of Vodka, only to bump into someone a few minutes later, which caused him to spill some his Vodka on his left hand. Looking over, Ken'Ichi was surprised to see a certain white-haired boy standing next to him.

"Toshiro!" Ken'Ichi slurred. "What's going on, man?"

Toshiro opened his mouth to reply, but he twisted his face slightly when he smelled the slight essence of alcohol on Ken'Ichi's breath. "Ken'Ichi, are you drunk?"

Ken'Ichi's stared at Toshiro with a drunken gaze for a brief moment before shaking his head to clear the alcohol that was slowly invading his mind.

"N-No, not really." Ken'Ichi slurred. "Did Loly invite you?"

"Someone else did." Toshiro replied. "Listen, I just wanted to apologize about what happened with our project. I had--"

"It's alright. I'm the should be one who's apologizing. I was out of wacko."

Toshiro looked at Ken'Ichi with confusion. "Odd. I understood that."

Ken'Ichi laughed and took another sip.

"Ken'Ichi!"

Ken'Ichi and Toshiro turned their attention to a certain black- haired pigtailed girl standing on the top of the stairs. When she got his attention, she mouthed out for him to come upstairs and winked. Anxiety, excitement, and nervousness all invaded Ken'Ichi's emotions all at once. Ken'Ichi turned his head around briefly to see Toshiro.

"Seriously, we're cool man." Ken'Ichi said as he drank the remainder of his cup and wobbled up the stairs.

Toshiro then felt his pants vibrating as he reached out for his cell phone in his back pocket. His eyebrows burrowed in shock and his eyes widened.

"You have 1 new text message from Momo Hinamori"

* * *

Loly led Ken'Ichi into her empty bedroom and closed the door behind them. He looked around and saw that there were candles lit all over the room and there was soft music playing from her stereo in the background. Ken'Ichi could feel his heart beats racing and gulped silently This was all so overwhelming to Ken'Ichi, but he couldn't let it show; after tonight, he was going to leave this house a man. Ken'Ichi pinned to the door, his facing mere inches away from hers.

"Finally I have you all to myself." Loly lustfully said.

"Hey that was my line." Ken'Ichi joked. "But then again, who gives a damn?"

The two closed the space between them with a hungry kiss. Her lips crashed with his while their hands caressed each others smooth skin. Soon enough she parted her lips, inviting Ken'Ichi to explore inside. Tongues stroked each other, caressing, unsteady breaths warming up each other's cheeks.

Loly gasped in his mouth when she felt Ken'Ichi's arms circling her waist and lifting her from off the ground and cearing her to the bed, their lips locked the entire time. Loly ran her hands through Ken'Ichi's light brown hair while Ken'Ichi did the same with her hair. He then pulled her hair ties off and her long, black hair fell past her shoulders. Ken'Ichi took his hands from Loly's waist to her legs, rubbing and caressing her upper thighs which made her moan in a brush of pleasure while Loly had already undid his belt and tossed it on the floor.

Ken'Ichi disconnected his lips from Loly's to take off his shirt. Once his shirt was discarded, he descended down Loly's neck, sucking and kissing on the soft and smooth kiss. He was sure he had left behind love bites, but based on the sounds of content made from the girl underneath him, she didn't mind.

After a few more minutes, Ken'Ichi and Loly both jumped in surprise at the swing of the door.

"Yeah Loly!" Three girls had busted into the room. "Yeah Loly! Now you got boyfriend #22 in bed!"

Ken'Ichi stared at the girls who had ran back out of the room snickering and then looked back at Loly with disbelief. Loly rubbed her forehead and sighed frustratedly.

"You told them, didn't you!?" Ken'Ichi shouted. He angrily exhaled and climbed off of her to put back on his shirt and belt. Loly sat up on the bed to try and say something, but Ken'Ichi grunted and stormed out. Loly got up and chased after him.

"Ken'Ichi I didn't tell him anything!" Loly pleaded, finally stopping him at the staircase.

"Oh yeah, then how did those girls find out?!" Ken'Ichi spat. He had managed to put his shirt back on, but he was still trying to put back on his belt. "They can read minds?"

"... I guess... I might've mentioned it to Menoly." Loly confessed. "I was just so excited about us and--

"Oh that's great. Blab our love life to your loud mouth sister and her stuck up friends, huh!" Ken'Ichi pulled out his phone and quickly started dialing.

"Who are you calling?"

"My ride. I'm out of here."

"Ken'Ichi please!" Loly pleaded. "I'm sorry about what happened back there! They shouldn't have done that! It was a mistake!"

"No, us thinking about sex was a mistake. This party was a mistake. This whole relationship was a mistake!" Ken'Ichi angrily stormed down the stairs with, leaving behind a distruaght Loly.

* * *

Once Ken'Ichi made it outside, the cold air seemed to cool him down a little bit, but his head was still foggy from both the alcohol and what had happened with Loly. From the corner of his eye he noticed Toshiro sitting on the sidewalk curb, his head buried in his hands and his breaths coming out loud and harshly.

"Toshiro?" Ken'Ichi asked as he sat down next to him and put his hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright?"

The white-haired boy shook his head. Ken'Ichi scooted closer to him.

"Do you wanna be alone?"

The white-haired boy shook his head in protest.

"What happened?" Ken'Ichi asked.

Toshiro took his face from out of his hands and simply stared at Ken'Ichi. Ken'Ichi couldn't help but notice Toshiro's eyes were slightly red.

"Toshiro, have you been crying?"

Toshiro looked away for a brief moment. When he felt Ken'Ichi's soft hand rub his back, Toshiro turned back around and to both boys' surprise, he pulled Ken'Ichi close and pressed his lips into his.

Ken'Ichi's eyes were at first the size of plates, but a few seconds later, he melted into the soft lips of the white-haired boy.

When Ken'Ichi comprehended the situation, he remembered that he was kissing _Toshiro Hitsugaya_. A _guy_. Another _male_. Ken'Ichi quickly pushed Toshiro off of him and stared at him with sheer disgust. Toshiro looked completely dumbfounded as he let out a shocked gasp.

_'What the hell do I just do?'_ Both boys thought to themselves.

"Ken'Ichi, I--" Toshiro tried to explain himself, but he quickly got up and ran off. Ken'Ichi didn't move or say anything to stop him. He simply let out a stunned and shaky breath.

* * *

**My longest chapter yet! Sorry if it took me a while to update. My SATs are later this week, so I've been prepping like crazy! I'm so nervous about it! Please R&R and chapter 7 will be up soon!**


	7. You Know What They Say About Assume

**Chapter 7**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

**Please Enjoy!**

* * *

Ken'Ichi took a nervous while he stared at the double- doors into his middle school like they weren't familiar. Friday night was... surprising to say the least. He didn't expect to leave that party still a virgin, nor did he expect to lock lips with a boy he barely knew. He had prayed all weekend that no one saw him and Toshiro kissing, as they were on the curb not too far from the party. Nonetheless, he was prepared for the worst in case someone had seen them. With this in mind, Ken'Ichi took a deep breath and pushed past the doors.

When Ken'Ichi walked in, he almost immediately felt the eyes of some of his peers and overheard low murmers coming from all four corners of the halls as well.

_'Dammit' _Ken'Ichi thought as he lowered his head slightly but continued to walk down the halls. He had hoped that nobody had seen or heard about what happened with Toshiro, but that clearly was not the case.

"Oh my gosh, is it that Ken'Ichi?" Ken'Ichi overheard one girl asked.

"Oh shit man, I heard Ken'Ichi.." one boy said but Ken'Ichi quickly walked past before he could finish.

"Wow, I can't believe Ken'Ichi actually did that." another girl Ken'Ichi walked by said.

The more voices he heard, the faster he walked and more he realized how damaged his reputation was. It was only a matter of time before everyone laughed him out of the school. Although he was now almost power-walking, he felt like he was walking forever, going deeper and deeper into a cavern of adolescent voices. He let out a small breath of relief when he finally saw his locker.

When he heard snickering coming from two guys walking by, he put his head against his locker and sighed frustratedly.

"Just great." Ken'Ichi whispered softly.

"Please tell me it's not true."

Ken'Ichi eyes widened when he turned his head over and saw his best friend, Dan, standing next to him.

"Tell me that rumor is not true!" Dan said.

"O-Of course not!" Ken'Ichi stuttered frustratedly. "_He_ kissed _me_!"

Dan looked at his best friend with a confused and slightly shocked expression.

"What are you talking about?" Dan said. "I'm talking about that rumor that you and Loly had sex at the party on friday. It's all over the school."

Ken'Ichi's eyes grew to the size of Frisbees as he pulled his head off of his locker.

"Oh, yeah! That! I was uhh... just talking about uhh.. well..." Ken'Ichi twirled his hands as he struggled to think of something. "Uhhh, did I say he? I meant to say _she_!"

Dan cocked an eyebrow while Ken'Ichi continued.

"_She_as in Loly, my girlfriend! It must've been all that liquor I drank at the party. I'm still a little fogged up in the head department." Ken'Ichi pointed to his temples as he nervously grinned. Small sweat drops began to form on Ken'Ichi's forehead when he saw Dan cross his arms and gain a skeptical look on his face. After a few long seconds, Dan unfolded his arms and shrugged his shoulders.

"Whatever, dude." Dan said flatly. "Anyway, did you and Loly have sex? How could you tell everyone else except for me?"

"It was kind of a last minute thing."

"You told everyone else about it. I thought I was you best friend?"

"Dude, me and Loly didn't sleep together. And I didn't tell anyone about it."

"Well, then why are-"

"Loly blurted it to her loud mouth sister and she's the one who's been telling other people about it." Ken'Ichi said, running his hand through his hair.

"Well, it's really starting to get out of hand. We need to find Loly and Menloly and nip this in the bud." Dan decided.

"Right." Ken'Ichi agreed. "Let's go.

Ken'Ichi and Dan made a turn to the right hallway, but their mission to end the rumors was curtailed by the ringing of the class bell.

"We'll do this after school." Ken'Ichi corrected as he and Dan promptly turned around and ran off to class.

* * *

A few minutes after school was over, Ken'Ichi and Dan were walking down the hallway trying to find Loly or Menoly. As they searched all through the school, they would ask the few remaining students that were still in the building if they had seen Loly or Menely, a question which was replied with either a shrug or a simple "no". They had also overheard a few vulgar and explict comments from some students regarding what had "supposedly" happened the night of the party, one of which involved Ken'Ichi, Loly, and a metal pipe with tar covering it. When the two teens would hear comments like that, all it took we a long string of curses at the students to get them to shut up.

Half an hour had passed, and their was still no sign of Loly or her sister. Frustrated, the two teens sat down on the stairs.

"We looked everywhere, man." Dan said. "Maybe they left already."

"Why would they do that?" Ken'Ichi asked.

"Maybe because school's over." Dan replied. "Didn't you realize that looking for a kid at school after school was a stupid idea?"

Ken'Ichi opened his mouth to reply, but his voice was caught in his throat as his eyes caught notice of a certain haired-haired boy. He had his arms crossed and he was scowling as he walked closer to the staircases.

"Hitsugaya Toshiro." Dan said. "What do you want?"

"I want to talk to Toshiro alone." Toshiro replied.

Dan leaned back on the stairs and shifted to make himself more comfortable, making it obvious that he wasn't getting up. "Anything you got to say to my best friend, you can say it in front of me."

"I-It's okay." Ken'Ichi assured Dan. "I'll be right back."

Dan reluctantly nodded and Ken'Ichi got up and followed Toshiro to a corner in secluded hallway. It was odd to Ken'Ichi what Toshiro wanted to talk about. He had assumed that after friday, it would be far too awkward to even look at each other, let alone talk to each other. Ken'Ichi leaned against the wall and Toshiro stood about a foot away. The white haired boy had looked around to see if there was anyone else who was around. There were none.

"Ken'Ichi, I know we've avoided each other since the party, but about friday night-"

"What happened on friday night was a drunken mistake on my part and nothing else." Ken'Ichi interrupted. "I'm trusting you that it stays between us."

Toshiro gave him a slightly confused look. "So you're just gonna pretend like nothing ever happened?"

"Exactly!" Ken'Ichi replied. "Look, I want you to promise not to tell anyone what happened, got it? We agree that it was a mistake. It can't happen again."

Toshiro looked as if he wanted to say something else, but he apparently didn't have the energy has he recluntantly nodded "Fine, I promise."

"Ken'Ichi?"

Ken'Ichi and Toshiro looked over to see the dark haired pigtailed girl standing a few feet away from them.

"Hey Toshiro, can I talk to Ken'Ichi for a minute, please?" Loly asked. Toshiro nodded and walked away with his arms crossed.

"Keni, I'm so sorry about telling Menoly about us. It wa--" Loly's apology was curtailed by the set of soft lips that were shoved into hers. She was taken by surprise for a moment, but she quickly relaxed and melted into the kiss. Ken'Ichi lifted her off the ground and pushed her against the wall, deepening the kiss by forcing his tongue into hers and tightning his firm grip on her. Loly didn't mind; she wrapped her legs around his waist and slid her tongue into Ken'Ichi's wet cavern. After a short moment, Ken'Ichi and Loly pulled away from each other, slightly panting.

"It's alright, babe." Ken'Ichi said, wiping the drool from the corner of his mouth. "I shouldn't have overreacted like that."

"Still--"

"Don't apologize, babe. PDA is actually kinda hot." Ken'Ichi said with a hint of lust in his voice.

"I love you." Loly said as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close for a warm embrace. Ken'Ichi looked over and saw that Toshiro was silently watching the two from the end of the hallway with his arms crossed.

"I love you too, Loly." Ken'Ichi replied, lifting her chin with his hand and planting a soft kiss on her lips, all the while keeping his eyes on Toshiro. Toshiro said nothing; he simply glared at Ken'Ichi and walked off.

* * *

"Okay, so did you talk to Daddy?" Minoru asked his father, Chad, on the phone.

_"Yeah."_ Chad replied.

"Did you bring him the present?"

_"Yeah."_

"Did you tell him you love him?"

_"Yeah."_

"And he still didn't even say more than 10 words to you?"

_"No."_

"Man, Daddy can be so stubborn sometimes. But no problems there, it just means we're gonna have to be sneaky."

_"It's alright, Nori." _Chad said. _"I'm sure he'll come around eventually."_

Minoru scoffed. "Dad, you know how Daddy is. Unless someone intervenes, he's gonna stay stuck on the past forever."

_"Don't worry yourself over this, Nori."_ Chad said._"Did you apologize to Grimmjow?"_

"Yeah. He's actually a pretty cool guy." Minoru paused briefly. "But he's not you."

Minoru could hear Chad half laugh on the other end.

_"Well, why don't we start this up fresh in the morning, Nori? I getting kind of hungry."_

Just then, Minoru grinned widely as an idea had lit up his cranium.

"Dad, that's it!" Minoru said excitedly.

_"What's it?" _Chad asked in a confused tone.

"Dad, I've got an idea." Minoru replied. "Are you at home?"

_"Yeah."_

"Then order out as much take-out as you can carry and come by to the apartment at 6:oo!" Minoru _exclaimed_.

_"I'm not following."_ Chad said.

"Dad, the key back into a man's heart is through his stomach. So, if you come by the apartment with dinner and your best "so sorry" face, Dad will hafta take you back."

_"Minoru, I think it's a little bit more complicated_ _than that."_ Chad said.

"Come on Dad, I know It's a long shot, but it's still worth it."

Minoru could hear Chad sigh deeply on the other end.

_"Fine."_ Chad said in an almost defeated tone.

* * *

**I haven't been feeling well at all which explains the lack of updates, and I'm sorry if this chapter is kind of short, but I promise the good stuff is coming up in the next chapter! Please R&R and chapter 8 will be up be next week!**


	8. Would It Make It Any Better

**Chapter 8**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

**Warning: Drug content and language**

**Please enjoy**

* * *

"Uh, Minoru, what is going on?" a confused Ken'Ichi asked as he looked at the near spotless living room and kitchen, which were literally sparkling. He then shifted his focus at his younger brother, who was on his knees scrubbing the last corner of the kitchen floor.

"Great Ken'Ichi! You're home!" Minoru said getting up from the floor. "Listen, I was going to ask Tetsuya to do this, but since you're already here, I need you to take this rag and scrub the bathroom."

Ken'Ichi crossed his arms and stared at his younger brother, who had then pulled out a small rag that had apparently been through countless battles. Ken'Ichi looked at the dirty piece of used cloth in slight disgust.

"Uh I think I'll pass." Ken'Ichi said, waving his hands as he made his way to the door.

"Ken!"

The thirteen-year old turned around only to be smacked in the face with a wet and dirty towel cloth that forced him into the door. Ken'Ichi peeled the cloth off of his face and groaned in disgust and angrily glared at his smiling younger brother.

"MINORU!" Ken'Ichi roared. "YOU'RE A DEAD MAN!"

Minoru yelped in fear at his angry older brother and ran into the hall with his pissed off brother closely following. As Minoru nearly made it to the door of his father's bedroom, he heard the squeaking of the floor and turned around to see Ken'Ichi slip on the still slightly wet floor and fall flat on his back with a loud **_Thud. _**Minoru then bursted out in laughter at Ken'Ichi, who was now on the floor groaning in pain while his rubbed his aching head.

"Dudes, I wish I had a video camera!" Minoru said between laughs. "That was like something right out of a cartoon!"

"That's not funny." Ken'Ichi winced in pain. "I hit my head hard."

"Yeah and all that was missing was a banana peel!" Minoru take a quick breath only to start a fresh wave of laughter.

"Just shut up and help me up." Ken'Ichi irritatedly replied. Minoru did as he was told and walked over to pull Ken'Ichi up with his hand, still chuckling all the while.

"What is with all this anyway?" Ken'Ichi asked as he continued to rub his head. "I haven't seen the house this clean in months."

"Papa coming back!" Tetsuya squealed, running from his room to cling onto Ken'Ichi leg. Ken'Ichi looked at his baby brother in confusion.

"What do you mean 'coming back'?" Ken'Ichi asked skeptically.

"Well it was really my idea but I invited Dad over for dinner." Minoru said with a wide grin and closed eyes. "He'll be here at around 6:00."

"You invited Dad? With what, leftover pizza rolls in the fridge?"

"No. I just thought it would be nice to have a home-cooked meal with the whole family here for a change." Minoru grinned.

"In other words, this is just another attempt to bring Daddy and Dad back together, huh?"

"Shut up." Minoru replied bluntly. "I just thought that it would do us all some good if we had some real home-cooked food with _both_ our parents."

"So, who's gonna make the dinner?"

"Nobody. Dad's down at the restaurant picking it up now." Minoru replied. "But the restaurant guarantees quality meals that can pass for home-cooked."

Ken'Ichi rolled his eyes. "So, I'm just gonna take a shot in the dark and say that Dad had no idea about this?"

Minoru and Tetsuya both nodded in response. The three brothers paused and turned their attention to the door. They could hear keys jiggling to the door-lock on the other side. The door opened and closed the door to reveal Ichigo returning from work. Before he even had a chance to close the door, the strawberry blonde glanced at the scenery and stared in awe at the immaculate apartment before him.

"Now this I could get used to." Ichigo said in an impressed tone. "What's the uh, what's the occasion?"

Ken'Ichi looked down at the floor and awkwardly scratched his head.

"Guys?" Ichigo asked, his voice somewhat suspicious.

"You have a surprise guest for dinner." Minoru grinned.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Like who?"

"Like Papa!" Tetsuya happily shouted. "Minoru invited him for dinner!"

The message slapped Ichigo in the face as his eyebrows scowled fiercely in anger. He could feel the vain in his forehead, the one that only appeared when he was really angry, throbbing out of his forehead.

Ken'Ichi rubbed his head and sighed, already preparing himself for the nagging rants ahead.

"Minoru Kurosaki-Sado!! Tell me you didn't!!" Ichigo's cold and angry voice bounced off the walls and made the three boys cringe in fear. Nonetheless, Minoru kept his cool.

"What? I thought you might like a nice meal with your hubby for once." Minoru replied in a shaky voice. "Please, don't start any drama because I want us all to have a good day."

The three boys eyed Ichigo as he stormed out of the living room area and made his way to the kitchen. He snatched a cordless phone off its charger on the counter and stormed back into the living room area.

"Take this phone and cancel it right now!" Ichigo shouted, pointing the phone at Minoru.

Minoru opened his mouth to speak, but he froze when he caught a glance outside of the still open doorway. He looked as if he had caught glimpse of a ghost.

"Minoru?" Ichigo said in a concerned, yet still angry tone.

"I can't." Minoru said stoically. He voice sounded almost robotically as he had his eyes locked on the front entrance.

"Why not?" Ichigo asked in response.

"Because Papa's home!" Minoru and Tetsuya happily shouted in unison. Ichigo froze only to slowly turn around to catch sight of the tall, muscular, Mexican man he once called his lover, Chad. Chad was holding several large bags of food in both hands.

Chad smiled sheepishly. "Enough for five rounds."

"Actually um Minoru, Tetsuya, and I are gonna go for a walk." Ken'Ichi said. He quickly grabbed Minoru and Tetsuya's arms and headed for the door, but Minoru and Tetsuya were nearly yanked back by Ichigo, who got a hold of them before they could leave.

"No guys! Stay." Ichigo said in a low and almost threatening voice. "Why don't you guys go and set the table?" The three boys simply looked at one another and nodded as they made their way to the table. Ichigo rubbed his head and sighed heavily, feeling a migraine already coming on. He was not ready for something like this. And neither was Chad for that matter. Nonetheless, the two men walked to the table to help the boys set up, but they both had an ominous feeling that this evening would not be pleasant at all.

* * *

The family all sat in silence at the table, the only sound being the utensils clinging with the plates and the leaky faucet in the background. Ken'Ichi sat across from the Minoru and Tetsuya while Chad and Ichigo sat across from each other on oppoiste ends of the table. The silence was agonizing and made everyone too uncomfortable to even try and start a conversation.

"Just like old times, huh?" Minoru finally broke the silence with a smile. It damn sure didn't feel like old times and everyone knew it. Back in the old days, everyone would usually be laughing talking and smiling with the occasional loudest belch contest. Now no one had talked since dinner started and the tension was far too overbearing.

Chad looked at the leaking faucet that had been the only source of sound in the apartment. Drop after irritating drop made Chad want to cringe with annoyance.

"Your faucet broken." Chad said.

"Oh wow I never noticed that." Ichigo replied sarcastically.

"Do you want me to fix it?" Chad asked.

"It's fine Chad." Ichigo replied flatly.

"Do you know how much water you're wasting?" Chad asked. My toolbox is still in-"

"Dammit Chad, just leave it!" Ichigo's voice rose in annoyance but he brought it down to a soft tone. "Please." Chad simply nodded in defeat as Minoru rolled his eyes at his orange-haired father and sighed.

"This Chicken Alfredo pasta is amazing." Minoru said as he took another dinner roll out of the basket and another bite of the Chicken Alfredo.

"Dad, I haven't seen you touch yours." Tetsuya said with his mouth full of mashed potatoes.

"Sure I have." Ichigo replied. Everyone knew it wasn't true. Since dinner started, Ichigo had been leaning in the chair with his arms folded and not moving from this position. He simple stared stoically at Chad the whole time.

"Us eating together like this is something we've really missed around here." Ken'Ichi said, taking a bite of a piece of fish.

Chad brushed strands of his hair away from his eyes and stared at Ichigo with his contently with soft brown eyes.

"Well I miss dinner with you guys. I miss a lot of things. Sitting here at this table, I realize that this is where I belong and I never should have left." Ken'Ichi, Minoru, and Tetsuya all smiled at their larger father but they quickly turned their eyes to their snickering orange-haired father.

"You didn't leave Chad. I kicked you out. Remember?" Ichigo bluntly chuckled.

Ken'Ichi put down his fork and groaned, already preparing himself for the big blowout that was soon to come.

"It's been long enough Ichigo. Can I…?" Chad paused briefly to clear his throat. "I think I learned my lesson. I'm ready to come home."

"Oh and that's your decision to make?" Ichigo's voice began to rise as he sat up in his chair but kept his arms folded.

"No it's _our_ decision, but yes I have a say--!"

"You had your say and it involved another man!" Ichigo stood up from his chair and pointed accusingly at Chad. Chad threw down his fork and leaned back in his chair in defeat.

"I'm sorry, kids. I tried." Chad said.

"Guys, I think you need to go to your room." Ichigo said with his eyes locked on Chad like a missile getting ready to fire away. Ken'Ichi got up and took Tetsuya with him, who managed to take one more bite of mashed potatoes. Minoru stood up but didn't walk away.

"B-But Daddy, I--"

"I'm not asking Minoru. GO!" Ichigo shouted.

"Don't you yell at my son like that!" Chad warned, standing up from his chair.

"He's _my _son, too!

"Guys, please just stop arguing!" Minoru pleaded.

"I came over here with a peace offering and this is the thanks I get?!"

"You honestly think a bag of cheap carry-out is get gonna erase what you did and make everything better?!"

"Excuse me, excuse me." Minoru said through gritted teeth.

"No, but I thought that maybe if we could just sit down like civilized people and talk about this--"

"What is there to talk about, huh?!" Ichigo shouted. "Or you know what?! Fine, let us talk! Lets talk about how you had an affair behind my back for two years, lied to your family, and GAVE ME AN STI!"

"I.." Chad was at a loss of words.

"Exactly!" Ichigo shouted. "If you were gonna be this mad about all of this, you should've thought about it when you were fucking on another man!"

"So what I messed up?! So what I'm trying to make up for it?! So what you keep throwing it in my face!!"

"STOP IT!" Minoru screamed.

"You stay out of this and stay in your damn place, Minoru!" Ichigo snapped as he pointed his finger at him.

"And you be quiet and act like an adult for a change!" Minoru snapped back.

"If I'm like this, it's because of _him _who made me this way!" Ichigo pointed his finger at Chad, who had sat down and stared off into the floor looking upset and angry.

"Stop pointing the finger all the time!" Minoru shouted. "It's so pathetic it's not even funny!

Ichigo, Minoru, and Chad could all hear the sound of Tetsuya crying from the room, but Ichigo nonetheless continued his ranting.

"You treat him better than me!" Ichigo said frustratedly. "You always make it look like I'm the bad guy!"

"I don't need this." Chad said in defeat, getting up from the couch. Tetsuya's crying grew louder as the atmosphere grew thicker in tension.

"Dad, where are you going?"

"I'm sorry, Minoru. I tried." Chad said softly.

Chad retreated from the living room and headed for the door with his shoes and coat in hand. Just as when he opened the door, he stopped in his tracks in the doorway. He lowered his head slightly and twisted his head around, just enough to lock eyes with the strawberry blonde.

"Ichigo if I walk out that door, I'm _not_ coming back."

Chad's voice was low and menacing and venom rolled off of each letter of his words. The look in Chad's eyes, the sheer intensity in his eyes, said that he wasn't kidding. Ichigo's face weakened a little, but he turned his head away and walked into the kitchen.

With that being done, Chad said nothing and walked out.

"No dad! Please wait!" Minoru begged.

A slam of the door was the only response he received.

Daddy, what the hell?!" Minoru said angrily as he shifted his now angry gaze from the door to his father. "What is wrong with you?! Why couldn't you just go one night with any BS?!"

"Why do you want me to pretend like everything is cool between me and him? Minoru, I can't do it."

"And why could you have just tried to work things out for the family's sake at least? Can't you see it's tearing our family apart?!"

"Right. And your father sleeping with a another man for two years had nothing to do with it. Its all me, isn't it? I've had enough of this." Ichigo was tired and fed up with all the arguing. He made his way to his room and grabbed his keys and a pair of shoes and walked back to the living room area to get to the door, muttering curses the whole time through.

"Dad!"

Minoru quickly followed after Ichigo but he experienced deja vu as Ichigo slammed the door shut in his face. Minoru ran his hands through his hair in frustration and let out a sigh of defeat. He remained unfazed when he felt a hand touch his shoulder. Minoru turned his head to see it was Ken'Ichi, who was also holding a now sleeping Tetsuya, whose cheeks were still stained with tears.

"He pretty much cried himself to sleep." Ken'Ichi said.

Minoru simply rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Well, look at it this way. At least fighting's a start, right? It's better than not talking at all."

Minoru could feel tears burning in his eyes, but he stubbornly refused to let them fall as he allowed Ken'Ichi to put his arm around him in comfort and walk back into their room.

_'Maybe I should just mind my own business from now on.'_Minoru thought to himself.

* * *

"And then he just left." Ichigo said softly. He looked over next to Grimmjow, who had his arm around him as the two of them snuggled on the couch in Grimmjow's tiny apartment.

"You don't need that in your life." Grimmjow said.

"Do you thing I'm wierd?"

"I think your perfect." Grimmjow said, finishing his sentence with a soft kiss on his lover's lips. Ichigo quickly melted and wrapped his arms around him as well as their kiss deepened. After a few minutes of passionate kissing, Grimmjow gently pulled away.

"I wanna show you something." Grimmjow whispered. The teal-haired mechanic got up from the couch and went into his bedroom. A few minutes later, he came back out with a small bag of what looked like baking powder. Ichigo's eyes grew wide when he got a better view of the bag.

"This is what you need to get over Chad." Grimmjow said. "All you gotta do is break it up with a razor and then snort it. Simple as that."

"Grimmjow, you do coke?" Ichigo said in an incredulous whisper.

"Please I've done it like twice." Grimmjow replied. "It's no big deal, believe me."

"Are you sure?" Ichigo asked skeptically. "Because that's how it always starts."

"Don't be so dramatic. These are special circumstances." Grimmjow stood up and walked towards the bathroom door. "You will feel better Ichigo. Come on."

Ichigo eyed the bag of white powder curiously, his thoughts wandering around that painful encounter with Chad and Minoru only a few hours before. While he hated drugs, and his medical education had taught him better, he still felt like he needed to let go of all of of his issues.

He just needed a quick escape from what he was forced to call his reality.

Ichigo reluctantly nodded and followed Grimmjow into the bathroom and slowly closed the door behind him.

* * *

**I'm taking my SATs again next week. Man time sure flies! Please R&R and chapter 9 will be up soon!**


	9. It's The Rush That You Get

**Chapter 9**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

**Please enjoy!**

* * *

"C'mon, cheer up, Minoru."

Ken'Ichi looked at his younger brother with sympathy. After tucking Tetsuya off to bed, the two boys had been cleaning up the dining area and putting away the leftover food in the refrigerator. Minoru had been completely silent for the last two hours, his bangs covering his eyes and shrouding his thoughts and feelings.

"Minoru, at least they're actually talking now. Give yourself props for that." Ken'Ichi sad trying to comfort his brother. Ken'Ichi sighed when his brother remained quiet, almost ignoring him. Ken'Ichi had took 2 more boxes of untouched food and stuffed them into the refrigerator when he heard a soft mumble coming from behind him. He turned around and saw that his brother had his back to him, staring at the window and into the dark night sky.

"Did you say something, Minoru?" Ken'Ichi asked.

A soft whisper came again, slightly louder than before but still too soft and incoherent to be properly heard.

"I can't hear you." Ken'Ichi said.

Ken'Ichi could hear Minoru clear his throat. "Was I wrong?"

Minoru turned his neck a little bit so he could see Ken'Ichi from the corner of his eyes, but he lowered his head when he didn't get a response.

"I just want our family to be whole again." Minoru's voice came to a gentle whisper, growing shaky with each word. "That's all I want."

Ken'Ichi gave his younger brother a sympathetic look. He didn't know what to say to him. At least not something that wouldn't hurt his feelings.

"Please don't get mad Minoru, but... I think you need... to grow up."

Minoru spun around to meet his brother's face, looking at him with a confused and somewhat angry glare.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Minoru asked.

"You miss Dad and you want him and Daddy back together. I get that, I want that too, but you can't make Daddy forgive him. A hug and a kiss won't be enough."

Minoru scoffed at his brother's words. "And what do you want me to do? Stand by quietly and accept it?"

"Maybe one day Daddy'll feel different, but for now, you just have to accept the way things are."

Minoru opened to respond but he was interrupted by a loud knock at the door.

_Knock Knock!!_

"It's probably Daddy." Ken'Ichi said. "I'll go get it."

Minoru nodded and headed to the kitchen sink to wash the dishes while Ken'Ichi walked to the door. When he unlocked the doorknob and turned it, Ken'Ichi let out a small yelp when the door flung open and set him to the floor. Dazed from the fall, Ken'Ichi looked up to see his giggling father. Minoru put down the sponge and the plate and turned to see his father. Ichigo was sporting a big grin on his face and it looked like he was shaking. His

"Hey kids! I'm home! It feels like it has been hours since I last saw you! I missed you guys! I hope I wasn't gone too long! How you been? You been good? Great? Supertastic? Great to hear!!" Ichigo was talking incredibly fast.

Ken'Ichi and Minoru exchanged weird looks to each other before sending their eyes back to Ichigo.

"Dad?" the boys said in unison. "Are you okay?"

Ichigo used the palm of his hand to roughly rub his nose. "What? Oh yeah, I'm fine. I'm great, actually! I feel like cleaning with you guys! But I am kinda cold. Are you cold? I'm cold. Really cold." To back up his statement, Ichigo began to shake rather harshly as he rubbed his nose with his fingers.

Ken'Ichi and Minoru's eyes grew wide as a realization hit the two when they saw there father rub his nose almost violently. But there was no way. Their father would never do anything like that. Would he?

"Dad, I'm sorry but I feel like I have to ask you this." Ken'Ichi got up off the ground and walked slowly to him. "Are you... high?"

"What?!" Minoru said shocked.

Ichigo didn't reply. Instead he stared at his son and twitched with a rather creepy look on his face, while still rubbing his nose. Ken'Ichi looked in his eyes and saw that his father's scowl was gone, and was replaced with two large, undiluted eyes that looked as if they were about to pop out of their sockets. After a few seconds, Ichigo bursted out laughing, to his sons' confusion.

"Dad?" Minoru said worried.

"I love you! I love you guys!" Ichigo snorted as he nearly leaped over to Ken'Ichi and embracing him in a tight and uncomfortable hug. Ken'Ichi used this chance to look at his father's face up close. His nose had changed color to a noticeable pink, confirming his suspicions.

"Minoru, get him a glass of water. Hurry." Ken'Ichi looked over to Minoru and the younger boy nodded. He took a glass from the counter and filled it with water from the filter and walked over to hand it to him.

"Oh! Oh! I want it! it!" Ichigo said still talking very fast. Ken'Ichi went to grab the glass of water from Minoru, but Ichigo's lunged for it as well, pushing the glass out of Minoru's hands and onto the floor, breaking the glass and spilling the water on the floor. Ichigo started to laugh again at what he had done.

"Oh god, I'm sorry." Ichigo said, while still chuckling. His laughs grew hysterical as Ken'Ichi and Minoru stared at him, with a disappointed look on their faces.

* * *

_RING!!_

The school bell rang for school to end. Toshiro took his bookbag from out of his locker and headed for the exit when he heard a familiar voice.

"Oi! Toshiro!"

Todhiro looked back to see who it was calling him in the large halls of his school. He rolled his eyes when he saw that it was Ken'Ichi running up to him and turned back around. The two hadn't spoke to each other since Ken'Ichi refuted what had happened between them.

"Wait, Toshiro! Please!"

Toshiro quickening his pace to leave the building. He reached the stairs when he felt a strong hand on his shoulder pull him back. Toshiro swatted his hand away and turned around to face him.

"Oh, what happened to the whole 'you not talking to me' idea you had?" Toshiro snarled.

Ken'Ichi let out an understanding breath. "Okay, I did deserve that." Ken'Ichi admitted.

"What do you want?"

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry for leading you on like that."

"What?!" Toshiro said in an offended voice.

"I mean, I'm not..." Toshiro took a quick look around to make sure that no one was watching or listening in on the conversation. "I'm not gay."

"And you think I am?"

Ken'Ichi scoffed. "Well you're the one who kissed me."

Toshiro scoffed back at the boy. "What are you, four? And for the record you kissed me back."

Ken'Ichi motioned with his hands, trying to find the right words to say.

"I want to keep hanging out with you, Toshiro. Alot."

Toshiro turned his back on him. "As long as it's convenient, right?"

"No! I, ugh-" Ken'Ichi stuttered frustratedly. "I really want us to just start over and get it right this time. Look, maybe we can go... hang out sometime."

Toshiro playfully smirked. "Will your girlfriend be joining us?"

"No." Ken'Ichi replied. "Just us boys."

Toshiro smirked again and departed down the stairs, leaving behind a confused and somewhat anxious Ken'Ichi at the top.

"Was that a yes?" Ken'Ichi shouted.

Ken'Ichi sighed with content when he saw Toshiro smile and shrug as he walked away.

Unbeknown to either boy, behind a nearby door stood a girl with short and untidy blonde-hair hair and bangs covering her right eye listening in on every word of that conversation.

"Hmph" the girl chuckled. "I knew it..."

* * *

Rangiku Matsumoto sat in on the couch of the apartment she shared with her nephew, Toshiro. She eyed the picture of her and Toshiro on the counter on the table near the kitchen, her thoughts wandering around that painful phone call she received from less than an hour before.

When she heard the sound of keys jingling and the front door open and close, she took a deep breath to prepare herself for the task ahead.

"Rangiku-san" Toshiro said, putting down his bookbag and walking into the kitchen. "How was your day?"

Rangiku didn't reply. Toshiro sensed something was wrong and stood at the kitchen entrance with a bag of chips and a soda. "What's going on?"

Rangiku took another preparatory breath as she turned around to face Toshiro and gather the strength to tell her nephew the news.

"Momo called." Rangiku said softly.

Toshiro's face collapsed as he heard those two words, already knowing what was about to be said.

"She said you weren't answering your cell phone." Rangiku continued. "She said that grandma was put in the hospital and that her condition has gotten even worse."

Toshiro's face weakened even further as he felt his heart pounding against his chest.

"I-It's complicated." Toshiro muttered.

"I know." Rangiku replied. "She's sick and you won't even go see her. Is that why you wanted to move in with me in the first place? To be away fr-"

"Okay, I really don't wanna talk about this." Toshiro curtailed his aunt's sentence and grabbed his bookbag and headed for his room at the end of the long hallway. Rangiku stood up from the couch and followed him.

"You can't just avoid this!" Rangiku warned.

"Oh yeah? Watch me!" Toshiro replied in a cold tone. Rangiku tried to get Toshiro to stop but by the time she got close to his room, Toshiro had already slammed the door in her face.

"Unbelieveable" Rangiku whispered under her breath. She ran her hands through her long, wavy, ginger hair and sighed in frustration, wondering what it was going to take to get Toshiro to deal with this.

* * *

**That's chapter 9! So sorry about the lack of updates but I promise chapter 10 will be up by next week! Please R&R and Stay tuned...!**


	10. One To Get Started

Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

**Please enjoy!**

* * *

"Hey, Loly?"

Loly glanced up from her laptop to see her sister, Menoly, standing in the front of the doorway to her room with her arms folded and a disappointed look on her face.

"What is it?" Loly asked.

Menoly sighed and made her way to Loly's bed, brushing away the headless stuffed animal before sitting at the edge of the bed.

"I need to talk to you." Menoly began. "It's about... Ken'Ichi."

Loly turned her chair around to face her sister, looking more concerned when she heard Ken'Ichi's name.

"What about Ken'Ichi?"

Menoly exhaled sharply before she started to tell her sister what she saw and heard.

"You know how Ken'Ichi's parents are gay?"

Loly nodded. "Yeah. What about them?"

Menoly motioned her arms, trying to find the right words to say. "Have you ever thought that maybe Ken'Ichi might also be-"

"Ken'Ichi's not gay, end of story!" Loly interrupted, shutting her laptop and putting it on a nearby shelf. "How can he be? He's dating me."

"Him and like, ten other dudes." Menoly whispered under her breath. Loly shot an angry glare at her sister and Menoly yelped in fear. Loly got up and walked slowly to her sister and kneeled in front of her, her face scowling hard.

"Did you say something, Menoly?" Loly asked, her tone seething with fury ready to explode onto her sibling.

"I'm sorry, that was a bad joke." Menoly nervously chuckled, trembling lightly in fear. Loly rolled her eyes at her and walked back to her chair.

"Anyway, Ken'Ichi's not gay, okay?"

"I'm just saying, I saw him and that new guy, Toshiro talking today."

Loly giggled. "Alright, that doesn't mean that they're gonna hook up."

"You didn't see the way they were looking at each other. The way they were talking. It kinda looked like flirting. They were kinda all over each other and neither seemed to mind."

"Ken'Ichi would never cheat on me, alright? I know my boyfriend."

Loly turned back around to grab her laptop when she heard Menoly say something under her breath as she headed for the door.

"What did you just say?" Loly asked, turning back around to her sister.

"Look, all I'm saying is that maybe we should go check on him and make sure that he isn't pulling any funny stuff, okay? They did say that they were hanging out later tonight."

"I'm not spying on him, Menoly." Loly said. "I trust my men, ugh I-I mean, _man_. I trust my _man_." Loly nervously giggled as she corrected herself. Menoly simply smirked at her sister.

"Come on, all I'm saying is-"

"We've been over this, Menoly. Just because you don't like Ken'Ichi doesn't mean you can exaggerate things about him."

"Loly-"

"Menoly, just get the hell out of my room and stay out of Ken'Ichi's business." The pigtailed girl demanded. Menoly sighed frustratedly and walked out her sister's room, slamming the door behind her. Menoly put her back up against the wall next to her sister's room and sighed again. She couldn't shake the idea that there was something going on between her sister's boyfriend and the new guy. She had to know.

"I'll just fine out for myself." Menoly decided.

Loly sat at her chair typing away at her laptop, but she soon found herself typing the words 'Ken'Ichi gay cheating' on her laptop. Loly quickly realized this and backspaced those words. She thought very briefly about what Menoly had told her, but she quickly passed it off as her sister being paranoid. And the fact that Ken'Ichi's parents were gay couldn't have meant a thing.

"Ken'Ichi wouldn't. He, he _isn't!_" Loly chuckled nervously.

"...Is he?"

* * *

Minoru could only stare disappointingly at his orange-haired father, who was sprawled out across his bed, having crashed from the cocaine he took the day before for hours now. He laid half-asleep in his bed with just a pair of briefs and a comforter covering his lower body. The crash of the coke had really taken its toll.

"Feeling any better?" Minoru asked sympathetically but with a hint of sarcasm.

Ichigo groaned, tossing and turning weakly before lazily opening his bloodshot eyes to see his son. Ichigo shook his head slowly in response. To say he felt horrible would be a complete understatement. Crashing from coke felt alot worse than it looked. The strawberry-blonde felt like vomiting. His nose was swollen shut and mucus was visibly dripping out of his nose. He felt incredible just last night. He didn't realize how bad it would feel to crash from something like that.

"Shouldn't you be in school?" Ichigo asked weakly.

"I came home early." Minoru replied. "I was too worried about you."

Ichigo quickly shut his eyes and held his stomach, groaning loudly as he felt nausea piercing his stomach.

"Daddy!" Minoru ran to his father's bedside, grabbing his right hand and holding it tight. He made a slightly disgusted face when he felt Ichigo's clammy hand, but held on nonetheless.

"I'm gonna throw up." Ichigo said, his eyes tightly shut and his left hand still clinging to his stomach.

"Daddy, why on earth would you do something so ridiculously stupid?" Minoru asked, worried. "For god's sake, you're a doctor! I shouldn't be telling you how dangerous that stuff is. You're also lucky Tetsuya was asleep when you in last night. He shouldn't hafta to see you like that."

Ichigo groaned again, the wave of nausea calming down a bit. "If you knew how I felt right now, Minoru.." Ichigo sighed. "I'm never gonna do it again."

"That's not the point!" Minoru let go of Ichigo's still clammy hand and stood up with a concerned and upset look on his face. "Why would you do it in the first place? People get hooked to this stuff after just one try!"

"Minoru, he gave it to me to make me feel better-" Ichigo confessed. Ichigo's eyes grew wide as a realization hit them both. Not caring about his current condition, Ichigo quickly sat up to explain himself, but he knew it was already too late; Minoru's head was lowered with his brown bangs covering his face, meaning he was on the verge of anger or sadness. Minoru had a bad feeling that was... no it couldn't have been. Not after they had that man-to-man, right? Still, Minoru gad a suspicion that _he_ had something to do with it.

"Dad, where did, where did the drugs come from?" Minoru voice was in a low and intense whisper that made Ichigo's voice cringe.

"Minoru, _I_ screwed up, Okay? Don't try to blame-"

"Answer my question!" Minoru demanded, his patience already wearing thin. "Who gave you the coke? A drug dealer? The mailman? Who?!"

Ichigo snorted and wiped his nose with the palm of his hand. "Umm..." Ichigo was at a loss of words. The silence confirmed Minoru's suspicions as he slowly stood up from the the ground and walked to the door.

"It was Grimmjow wasn't it?" Minoru said, his back still turned to the door. "I'm so stupid. How could I trust that guy?!" Minoru felt like kicking himself for thinking that, even for one second, that Grimmjow could actually be a good person, let alone a good man for Ichigo.

"Minoru-"

"Dad! How long how you and Grimmjow been doing this?!" Minoru spun around and faced his father.

"I've only done it once and he's only done it twice!" Ichigo shifted himself and sat on his bed. "Please Minoru, he only did that to take my mind off some things."

Minoru simply scoffed at his father's statement. "Yeah, that's a really romantic gesture."

"He was there for me, okay? At least he understands."

Minoru couldn't bear to listen to one more word Ichigo had to say. He couldn't believe some of the things his father was saying to him. _Only_ Grimmjow cares. _Only _Grimmjow understands_. _He wanted to throw up at Ichigo's statements. He wasn't making any sense. It was as if he and his brothers didn't mean anything.

"Dad! Why would you accept drugs from Grimmjow of all people?!" Minoru's voice was rising in anger and confusion at his father.

"It may not have been the best thing to suggest, but It was good enough to-"

"Good?!" Minoru shouted incredulously. "If he was any good, that asshole wouldn't want you to fuck your life up!"

"Watch what the hell you say to me, little boy." Ichigo demanded in a fierce growl. Minoru whimpered very slightly, but otherwise remained unfazed in response to his father, whose facial expression had turned into his signature scowl. "I understand that you're worried and I'm sorry for what happened, but I'm still your father and I won't take your bullshit."

Minoru didn't respond. He was too angry to. He had a brief moment of fear, but was now seething with anger. He felt like he would go crazy if he even opened his mouth. Instead, he stared at his father with scorching intensity. He questioned if Ichigo was still high because of the way he was acting. Maybe he didn't have to curse like that, but that was only because he loved his father and Ichigo knew that he would act out for just nothing. Ichigo felt his son's anger and sighed.

"Minoru, I promise I won't ever do it again." Ichigo said. "Now I want you to promise me that you won't start any trouble with Grimmjow, okay?"

Minoru breathed a sigh of disbelief. "You're kidding, right?"

"Look, I can handle my own business, okay? I don't need you checking up on the people I deal with, got it?"

"But this is different! That stuff couldn't killed you! He never should've given it to you, no matter how bad you felt!"

"Once I get well, I'll talk to him myself. The last thing I need is to get a call from Grimmjow's work saying an 11-year got him fired."

Minoru didn't respond. He resumed to staring angrily at his father, slightly shaking.

"Minoru...!"

"Fine!" Minoru said in defeat, breaking his silence. "But only if you promise me that you'll never let Grimmjow or anyone else talk you into something like that ever again."

"I promise." Ichigo smiled and got up from bed to where Minoru was and embraced him in a hug. Minoru just stood there breifly, but he shut his eyes and wrapped his arms around him, holding him tightly. After about a minute, Minoru pulled away from his dad.

"I'm just gonna go take a walk to take my mind off of this."

Ichigo nodded and patted his son on the head. Minoru walked out of his father's bedroom and grabbed his jacket, which was sitting on the couch. He didn't know who to be more pissed off at: Grimmjow for giving his father drugs, Ichigo for defending Grimmjow, or himself for putting his trust into either one of them. The only thing that was on his mind was how could Ichigo defend that bastard after he gave him the cole. He should've never believed Grimmjow in the first place. But still, Minoru decided to keep his promise with Ichigo.

He wasn't going to 'start trouble'.

He was going to raise _hell_.

* * *

Ichigo let out a trouble sigh as he made his way back to his bedroom with his head down. He was disappointed in himself for doing what he did. What was worse was that Ken'Ichi and Minoru saw him like that. The only good thing about it was that Tetsuya was asleep during the time he was high. It already hurt enough that two of his sons had to take care of him like he was an hyperactive and immature child, but it would've broke his heart to see his youngest son disappointed in the man he looks up to.

Ichigo also knew good and well that Minoru wasn't just 'going for a walk'. Knowing Minoru, he was probably on his way right now about to get into it with Grimmjow. While he didn't like the fact that his son was trying to fight for him, he also didn't have the strength to try and convince him otherwise and had just hoped that things didn't get that out of control.

Walking back into his room, he walked into his closet and pulled off a pair of grey pants that he wore last night that were held on a clothes hanger and put it own his bed. He fished into his right pants pocket and pulled out a tiny little bag of cocaine that was leftover from when he got high with Grimmjow the night before.

"I'm sorry, you guys." Ichigo whispered to himself. He tossed the bag onto his bed and buried his face in his hands, troubled over his situation.

* * *

"Hahahaha! Really?"

"Yeah man. My younger brother Minoru had this huge bed-wetting problem up until he was eight." Ken'Ichi snorted. He and Toshiro's laughed harder as the two boys walked through the crowded streets of KaraKura.

"I'd take that secret to my grave." Toshiro chuckled.

"And that's not even the worst part." Ken'Ichi added. "He even had to sometimes wear a diaper back to bed after his 'accidents'." The two boys stopped in their tracks and laughed hysterically, leaning over while holding their stomachs, while their faces were turning red and their eyes shut from laughing. They could feel the heat from other people's eyes locked on them, giving them strange glares while wondering what it was that was so funny.

Ken'Ichi and Toshiro continued to laugh for a few more minutes until they finally began to regain their composures, their sides starting to hurt from laughing so hard.

"Oh god, Minoru will kill me." Ken'Ichi realized, still chuckling softly.

"Aw man." Toshiro said.

"What is it?" Ken'Ichi asked.

"What? Oh nothing." Toshiro replied. "It's just... it's nice... being able to go out and laugh like this."

"Yep." Ken'Ichi responded, putting his hands behind his head. "Not a care in the world."

"Yeah, not having to worry about family issues or anything."

"Yep, I feel you on that." Ken'Ichi said. "It's like, as much as you love them, there are some things about them that you can't... overlook."

Toshiro looked over to Ken'Ichi, slowing his pace down. "Yeah, that's-that's how I feel when I'm with them."

Ken'Ichi noticed that Toshiro wasn't walking right next to him and turned back around to see the white-haired boy standing closely behind him. It was odd, looking at Toshiro on the streets. Ken'Ichi's eyes were locked on him, as if there wasn't another soul walking past.

"My family-" the boys said in unison.

"Sorry, you go first." the boys said in unison once again. The boys chuckled softly and somewhat awkwardly.

"It's okay man, you go first." Ken'Ichi said.

Unexpectedly, Toshiro borrowed his eyebrows and took a step back from the brown-haired boy, now looking at him with slight hostility. He didn't understand why his gut feeling about Ken'Ichi had suddenly changed, but it was as if this was... too good to be true. Almost like this whole night wasn't real.

"I can't." Toshiro replied, lowering his head.

"Wh-what? Why not?" Ken'Ichi asked, sensing his friend's mood swing.

"Ken'Ichi as great as this has been so far, I barely know you... and you barely know me."

"Let's change that." Ken'Ichi smiled.

* * *

**That's chapter 10! I'm reallllly sorry for the longggggg update. I've been so stressed out with school and my exams and my college appilcations, it all was taking a much bigger toll on me than I thought. Please R&R and chapter 11 will be up very soon! Things are about to get _really_ interesting...**


	11. I'll Be Your Albatross

**Chapter 11**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

**Warning: Violence, language, and suggestive material. Please read with caution.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Minoru felt a strange vibe of deja vu as he took a preparatory breath and walked into the mechanic shop that Grimmjow worked in. He looked around at the mechanic shop and saw that pretty much nothing changed. There were still bright lights in the ceiling at the corners of the large mechanic shop and spilled oil remained untouched on the same places of the floor which Minoru once again made sure to avoid. There was still graffiti written on some of the walls and vehicles. The sound of buzzing in the background made Minoru more uncomfortable than before, as it was around 8:30 at night and the place was emptier than before.

After a few minutes of wandering around the rather large auto shop, Minoru caught wind of an open door and a bright light coming from inside. He cautiously made his way to the open door and poked his head inside. It was a tiny and cramped office space that could only barely fit a chair and a small desk with several pieces of paper scattered all over.

"Hey! Get out of there!"

Minoru jumped in fear and spun around to see an intimidating man with a long face and braided black hair hanging over his shoulder. Minoru quickly ran out of the tiny office but the man had already caught him and yanked him back to the entrance of the office.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, kid?!" the man shouted. "You trying to steal something from here?!"

"N-No, I wasn't! I swear!"

"Then what the hell are you doing here? Don't you know it's late at night?"

"Yes and I-I'm sorry!" Minoru pleaded. "I was just looking for Grimmjow, honest!"

The man's face lightened up a bit when he heard this information and let go of Minoru's arm. Minoru backed away a little bit from the man. "Oohhh, you're looking for Grimmjow."

"Sorry about that, kid. I thought you were a petty thief or something."

"It's okay."

"You say you're looking for Grimmjow? I'm his co-worker, Shawlong." Shawlong extended his hand to shake Minoru's. Minoru nodded and extended his hand as well, greeting the man.

"Do you know where he is by any chance? I'm his... nephew, Mino-I mean, uh Minaka."

"I'm sorry, but you actually just missed him. His shift ended and he left just a few minutes ago."

_'Dammit' _Minoru thought, looking away from Shawlong and staring off to the floor with disappointment.

"Yep. His hours are shorter than mine _and_ he to go home to a woman like Tia. Lucky bastard."

Minoru's glance instantly shot up from the ground back to Shawlong skeptically. A sudden realization then hit Minoru as he contemplated what the man just said. But it couldn't have been _that_. It just couldn't be.

"W-what? What exactly do you mean by 'a woman like Tia'?" Minoru asked skeptically. "Who's Tia?"

Shawlong raised an eyebrow. "You're his nephew, so shouldn't you already know?"

"Oh... yeah! Umm... well.. I... I'm Grimmjow's distinct nephew. I don't live around here." Minoru nervously chuckled.

Minoru's reply was met with a suspicious look on Shawlong's face, hinting that he wasn't buying it. "Are you sure, kid?"

"Well, he's not my favorite uncle either!" Minoru said in his defense.

Shawlong simply scratched his head. "Whatever you say, kid."

Minoru breathed a very small sigh of relief. "So, who is Tia, anyway? Is she like his roommate or a sibling or...?"

Much to Minoru's confusion, the tall man burst out in laughter, his laughs echoing throughout the shop.

"You really do live far away, don't you?" Shawlong snorted. "Tia Harribel is Grimmjow's wife."

Minoru's jaw dropped as he stared at Shawlong in completely and utter disbelief. Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, the man who had been _dating his father for months_ was a _married man_. He couldn't wrap his head around it.

"His wife?" Minoru said, still a little shocked.

"Yes. They've been married for almost 4 years. They got two kids and one on the way."

Minoru's facial expression went from shocked to angry, his hands balling into tightly clenched fists that began to shake furiously.

_"That bastard."_Minoru whispered under his breath. "I have to get going."

Once again, Shawlong raised in eyebrow in suspicion.

"My just got here, man! Cut me a break!"

"Uh yeah whatever kid just make sure you stay out of trouble." Shawlong said, retreating into the tiny office space.

Minoru thanked the man and headed for the exit, visibly seething in anger.

"This is gonna kill Ichigo." Minoru said softly.

* * *

Minoru looked around at his apartment complex and glanced over at the parking lot. He noticed that Ichigo's car wasn't there.

"Weird, where's Daddy's car?"

Minoru walked into the building and headed up the stairs. As Minoru decended up the stairs to Grimmjow's home, he began to remember the conversation he had with Grimmjow a while back.

_"Umm... Look I-I just wanted to apologize for being such a pain in the ass to you. I was out of line." _

_Grimmjow could only smile at Minoru. "It's alright.."_

_"N-No, it's not." Minoru remarked. "It's just I'm still pretty messed up... about everything."_

_Grimmjow kneeled in front of Minoru and took a quick glance at his hands to make sure that they were void of any oil stains before placing his right hand on the young boy's shoulder._

_"It's okay, Minoru." Grimmjow reassured. " hat's the thing with parents. When something happens, they tell you not to let it affect you, but it still does and it sucks."_

_"Y-Yeah. That's exactly how I feel." Minoru said softly. "How..?"_

_"It's just I understand the pain that you're all going through." Grimmjow said. "Me and my brothers went through the same thing with my step-dad, Aizen. But we stuck it out with him and eventually we warmed up to him. Before we realized it, we were even calling him Dad."_

_Minoru was starting to feel bad about the way he had treated Grimmjow before. Now that he came to think of it, Minoru had never even given Grimmjow a real chance. He automatically wrote him off as a douchebag when he first met him. He had always acted rude and mean to him whenever he was around. He thought Grimmjow was a bad dude, but now that he was having an actual conversation with him, Grimmjow wasn't all that bad. In fact, he seemed kind of cool._

_"Yeah. Well, I also wanted to thank you."_

_Grimmjow gave the boy a confused glance for a brief moment._

_"Thank me? For what?"_

_"For making my father so happy. He hasn't been in this good a mood since he.. split up with my Dad. He was really depressed and for a long while me and my brothers weren't sure if he would ever get out of it."_

_"I like Ichigo alot." Grimmjow said. "He's really had an impact on me too. I mean, I even find myself getting off of work early just to be with him. He's amazing. Him and his whole family."_

_Minoru nodded slightly as Grimmjow continued._

_"You're a good kid, Minoru. A strong one, too."_

Bullshit. It was all nothing but bullshit after all. From the very first moment he saw him, Minoru knew right away that Grimmjow was lying, no-good douche bag. and he felt stupid for ever believing that there could've been more to him than that.

Before he realized it, Minoru was standing in front of his apartment door.

"I can't believe this." Minoru said.

Minoru pondered briefly about whether or not to tell Ichigo about what he had just found out. Ichigo was still recovering from the painful truth about Chad's affair and the last thing he needed right now was to get his heart ripped out of his chest again. But then again, just the fact that Grimmjow wasn't honest with him in the first place made it all the more easier for Minoru to tell Ichigo about it.

The 11 year-old inhaled softly and put his keys into the lock of his apartment. Oddly, the door was already unlocked as it creaked open.

"Maybe Dad was expecting me?" Minoru said, walking into the room. The place was pitch-black with only the light from the stars shining down. Minoru looked around, wondering where everybody was.

"Daddy?" Minoru shouted, wandering aimlessly around the living room. "Ken'Ichi? Tetsuya?"

Minoru was met with only the sound of his echo. The place was so dark, Minoru didn't realize that the door had already closed by itself.

"Daddy?" Minoru shouted. "Tetsuya? Ken'Ichi? Are you guys home?"

"No, they're not."

Minoru jumped at the cold and dark voice that came from behind him and spun around to see a certain light-blue spiky haired man standing in front of the front door, denying any chance of Minoru escaping.

"G-Grimmjow?! W-What're you doing in my house?! Where's my family?!" Minoru asked, slightly afraid.

"Ichigo took Tetsuya out. They were already gone by the time I got here, but I found the spare key under the doormat and let myself in." Grimmjow's psychotic grin was starting to grow onto his face, making Minoru more afraid and uncomfortable.

Grimmjow walked up closer to Minoru while Minoru backed away."Funny thing happened on my way home. I got a very interesting call from my colleague at my workplace. He told me some kid was looking for me, pretending to be my nephew. Any idea who that might be, Minoru, or should I say, Minaka?"

Minoru gave the blue-haired man a dirty look. "Question of the evening: Who's more pathetic, you for deceiving me and my family or us for believing you? Not to mention you giving my father drugs?"

Grimmjow simply smirked. "Guess the cat's out of the bag, huh? I take it then you know about my wife, then."

"What are you trying to do to us? First, the drugs, and now this? What the hell do you want?"

A lustful smirk crept upon Grimmjow's face. "It's kinda more like 'who' I want."

Minoru's eyes grew wide to the size of Frisbees as he instantly realized what the man was talking about. Minoru fled the living room to the kitchen area, yanked open the kitchen drawer and grabbed the largest and sharpest knife. Grimmjow could only grin at the boy as he walked slowly over to him.

"Get the hell away from me!" Minoru warned, pointing the tip of the knife at Grimmjow. Grimmjow remained unfazed by this and continued to walk towards him.

"Hehehehe, You're shaking.." Grimmjow taunted. Minoru looked down and saw that his legs were indeed shaking vigorously in fear.

Minoru's heart began to beat out of his chest. He felt like he was going to throw up. He had to get out. It didn't matter where he went, as long as he kept moving. Minoru dashed out of the kitchen area and headed for the door. Unfortunately, all the lights in the apartment were turned off and it made it hard to see. Minoru tripped over a coffe table and fall hard to the ground, the knife falling out of his reach. Quickly scrambling up to his wobbling feet, Minoru tried to run to the door, but he then felt a cold and very strong hand grab his shoulder and slam him back into the ground. By the time Minoru could even open his eyes, Grimmjow had already crawled on top of him, with the knife now in his hand. Minoru could feel tears stinging his eyes as he tried to wiggle his way free, but they both knew the effort was futile.

"Awww, you gonna cry?" Grimmjow said in a mocking voice, noticing the tears that were slipping out of Minoru's eyes, despite his eyes being tightly shut. "Want your Mommy to make it better? Too bad you don't have one."

Grimmjow let his free hand travel over Minoru's slender leg, his hands halting to briefly rub on his hamstrings. Minoru then began a new, violent struggle to break free but it was no good as Grimmjow was too strong.

"Let me explain something to you." Grimmjow said in a low whisper. Minoru could smell Grimmjow's hot and almost sour breath as the blue-haired man inched closer, his face barely an inch away from his own.

"This is a warning. The only reason I put up with your bullshit this long was because of Ichigo. I could've been at home right now banging the shit outta my wife, but you insist on doing things your way. I'm doing what I'm doing because-"

"Listen, asshole-!" Minoru felt a hand blindside him across the face, blood drooling out of his mouth and stars obscuring his vision. Grimmjow lowered the knife closer to Minoru's neck, the tip mere inches away from the boy's adam's apple.

"No _you _listen, you little bitch!" Grimmjow roared, roughly grabbing the chin and yanking him up even closer to him. "Keep your mouth shut and don't mention a word of this to either Ichigo or my wife. If you run your mouth about this to anyone, I will fucking _hunt_ you down, cuz guess what? I know where you live, and how to get in. So don't fuck with me anymore, Minoru. I'm dangerous."

"You're crazy..." Minoru tearily replied in a hushed and scared voice.

"You're right." Grimmjow smirked. The blue-haired man brought the knife down to Minoru's arm and ripped off the sleeve of his rumpled green T-shirt, exposing the boy's bare and bruised arm from when he fell. "This all stays between us, punk."

Slowly crawling off of the quivering boy, Grimmjow stood up and tossed the knife to the ground as he made his way to the door. Opening the door, he looked over at the Minoru one last time, who hadn't moved.

"Why?" was all Minoru could utter, in a terrified and saddened voice. "Why are you trying to hurt us... for no reason?"

"Heh, because I can! And besides, it's no different than what Chad did to you guys a year ago. Remember?" Grimmjow erupted into sinister laughter as he left the apartment and shut the door behind him, his sadistic laughing still being heard by Minoru from outside.

Minoru stood in place for a long time, shocked and horrified at what he had just encountered. Eventually, he slowly made his way to his bedroom. He hadn't even made it to the bedroom door as the young boy sunk to the floor, his head back against the wall. Still trembling with fear and anger, he broke down and sobbed, covering his blood-stained mouth with his bruised hand as tears fell freely from his eyes.

* * *

**Please R&R and chapter 12 will be up soon. Happy holidays!**


	12. Let Us Sport While We May

**Chapter 12**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Man, where's Ken'Ichi?" Hiyori mumbled while eating a piece of her BBQ. She, Dan, and Lilynette sat at a round lunch table placed in the center of their crowded school cafeteria.

"Yeah he has been MIA for a while now." Lilynette added, sneaking a piece of Hiyori's BBQ when she wasn't looking.

Dan looked around the cafeteria absent-mindedly when he caught glimpse of a certain figure.

"Speak of the devil." Dan said, pointing out Ken'Ichi to Hiyori and Lilynette who was walking out of the lunch line with what appeared to be someone else following him. When Ken'Ichi got into better view, the three saw that a certain boy with snow-colored hair saw walking with him.

"What's he doing?" Lilynette said under her breath.

"Hmph. Which one?" Hiyori snorted.

Dan hushed the girls for them to be quiet as Ken'Ichi and Toshiro made their way to the table.

"Hey guys." Ken'Ichi said with a smile as he sat down at the table with his friends.

The three didn't respond. Instead, they simply stared at the white-haired boy sitting down next to their friend with near unwelcoming looks. Ken'Ichi and Toshiro both felt the uncomfortable silence and stares, almost as if Toshiro wasn't invited to sit with them.

"Um you guys know Toshiro. He's in our class." Ken'Ichi said.

"Yeah." Toshiro added. "I was in-"

"Yeah, I remember you." Dan interrupted.

Ken'Ichi gave Dan a glare as Toshiro just nodded uncomfortably.

"So, where ya been, Ken?" Lilynette asked. "Sometimes I forget what you look like."

Ken'Ichi chuckled lightly. "Well, things have been a little crazy around my house."

"Oh yeah, how is Minoru? It's been a few days." Toshiro asked.

Dan gave Ken'Ichi and Toshiro a confused look. "What? What happened to Minoru?"

"His brother... got into a fight. Got hurt pretty bad." Toshiro replied.

Dan looked at Ken'Ichi with a somewhat surprised look. He was surprised that Toshiro knew something like that before him. He and Ken'Ichi had been best friends for 3 years. They always told each other everything. Whenever something happened to one, the other would be the first to know about it.

"Umm, so you told Toshiro before me?"

"Uhh, well Toshiro was... just around." Ken'Ichi said slightly nervously. "We had been hanging out that night and he came back to my house."

"Well, there are cell phones around. Cell phones with texting. You still could've said something to me." Dan smiled. Although Dan was nice enough about it, Ken'Ichi saw right through and knew he was definitely upset about not finding out first about Minoru's situation.

"I'm sorry, man." Ken'Ichi said. "And besides, you know now."

"What happened to Minoru-kun anyway?" Lilynette asked.

Although it only was a few days ago, it was as clear as if it was a movie replaying in his head.

* * *

_"Wow, nice apartment." Toshiro said to Ken'Ichi, walking up the stairs of Ken'Ichi's apartment complex a few steps behind the light brunette._

_"Thanks, but it's really not that great. I share my room with my annoying brother and sometimes It gets cramped up-" Ken'Ichi's statement was curtailed when he caught glimpse of the door to his apartment swung wide open._

_"What the...? Wonder what's going on?"_

_Toshiro got up a few more steps and saw the oddly wide door as well._

_"Is everything okay?" Toshiro asked._

_"I hope so." Ken'Ichi replied._

_Ken'Ichi walked cautiously to the open door with Toshiro following closely behind. He peered his head in the open door and looked into the living room. All he saw was an empty living room._

_"It doesn't look like anything was stolen." Ken'Ichi whispered._

"Ow! Dammit daddy!"

_Ken'Ichi and Toshiro exchanged each other confused looks. The voice came from Ken'Ichi and Minoru's shared bedroom._

_"That's my brother." Ken'Ichi said, rolling his eyes._

_"I can just wait out here."_

_"Ken, I'm so glad you're home." Ichigo walked out of the boys' bedroom. He was holding a wet cloth and used up bandages, both of which had traces of blood on it. __"Ken, Minoru got into a fight at the bus stop. Could you help me and get some medicine from the bathroom cabinet? Tetsuya fell asleep."_

_"Um, sure. I'm sorry Toshi, I'll be right back." Ken'Ichi looked back to Toshiro as he quickly made way to the bathroom and the white-haired boy nodded in agreement._

_"Dad, I'm fine. It's just a few bruises." said an irritated Minoru as he walked out the room. He had a large bruise on his swollen left cheek as well as a cut on the left corner of his cheek. His arm was wrapped in bandages and his shirt was torn off at the sleeve._

_"Minoru, put some ice on your cheek." Ichigo said. "It'll help the swelling go down."_

_"Wow I never thought of that." Minoru said sarcastically as he made his way to the kitchen area. Ken'Ichi then walked out of the bathroom and with a small bottle of aspirin._

_"Here, you might need this." Ken'Ichi said handing the medicine of Minoru. Minoru scoffed and batted away his older brother's hand._

_"I don't need it." Minoru coldly replied__._

_Ken'Ichi rolled his eyes. "Man, I'm just trying to help you."_

_Minoru sucked his teeth and shot his head at his brother. "You wanna help? Go find the bastard, Grim-!" Minoru stopped dead in his tracks as he almost blurted out his attacker's name._

**"If you run your mouth about this to anyone, I will _hunt_ you down."** _Grimmjow's voice still echoed on in Minoru's mind while he remembered the man's threats._

_"Gr-G-G-Go find the jackass that did this me!" Minoru stuttered angrily._

_"Minoru, he's just trying to help!" Ichigo pointed out._

_"I don't need his help!" Minoru spat. "And he'd know that if he paid just a speck of attention to us!" _

_Ken'Ichi just smirked at his brother. "Are you trying to embarrass me in front of my friend or is this an attempt to repair your damaged ego?"_

_Minoru angrily gritted his teeth and shoved Ken'Ichi back into the kitchen counter, making the 13 year-old painfully hit the edge of the counter and drop the aspirin on the floor. Angrily, Ken'Ichi grabbed Minoru by his collar and pushed him into the refrigerator door. He balled up his fists and pulled back to swing but was restrianed by Ichigo, who then pulled the two boys off of each other._

_"Stop it both of you." Ichigo warned, who then shot an angry glare at Minoru. "You. Go back to your room, put the damn bandages on your face, and don't come back out for the rest of the night." Minoru muttered curses under his breath in response as he stormed off angrily back into his room and slam the door shut._

_Ichigo and Ken'Ichi sighed in unison._

_"Yeah, maybe I should go find this dude." Ken'Ichi said, unaware that he was putting the bottle of aspirin in the refrigerator. "So I can bring him here and have him kick his ass a second time!"_

_"Ken'Ichi..."_

_"Daddy, I was only trying to help! Did he get roughed up that bad?"_

_Ken'Ichi turned around to see that Toshiro was still standing by the door, somwhat in awe as to what he had just saw._

_"I'm really sorry you had to see that." Ken'Ichi nervously chuckled, putting his hand behind his head. "I can't tell you how embarrased I am._

_"It's okay." Toshiro replied. "I should probably go back home. You need to deal with your family."_

_"...Okay" Ken'Ichi sighed. "I'll call you later."_

_"Alright."_

* * *

"Awww poor Minoru-kun." Lilynette said with sympathy. "I hope he feels better."

"Why would you let him push you like that, Ken?" Hiyori chuckled.

"Toshi, Ken'Ichi?" Dan said skeptically. "You guys have nicknames? We don't even have nicknames."

"Uh hello Dantuyo, otherwise known as Dan." Ken'Ichi remarked flatly. "That's a nickname."

"No, It's an abbrievation of the name 'Dantuyo'. There is a difference."

"A name is a name, Dan. I could call you pukeface and you would still respond." Hiyori said with her mouth full of BBQ.

"Still, why Toshi? It sounds stupid." Dan added.

"Actually, that was my great-grandfather's name, Toshi." Toshiro added.

"Well he sure didn't have much style, did he?" Dan ignorantly stated as he bursted out laughing, much to Toshiro's dismay. Ken'Ichi gave his best friend a weird look and got up from the table, grabbing Dan by the arm and forcing him through the crowded cafeteria. Ken'Ichi opened the double-door exit and lead Dan to the wall on the other side.

"What the hell is your problem? Why are you acting like this?"

"No what's your problem? You really should think about your priorities to your best friend."

"Oh so now I can't have other friends, is that what you're saying? Would you say this to Hiyori and Lilynette? And besides, suddenly you're the expert guru on priorities?"

"I'm not saying that. You keep blowing us off to go hang out with that loser and I'm sick of it."

Ken'Ichi looked at Dan with a offended expression. "Did you just call my friend a loser?"

"Friend? More like pet project."

"Jealous much?"

"No. I just don't get why you hang out with him."

Ken'Ichi tightly exhaled. "What a coinidence. I was just asking myself the same thing about you." Ken'Ichi said as he brushed past Dan and made his way down the hall. Dan simply rolled his eyes and muttered 'whatever' under his breath and he walked back into the cafeteria.

* * *

_RING!!_

The school bell rang for school to end. Loly was standing at her locker, checking her hair in the mirror that hang on the inside of the locker door. When she was finished, she jumped in surprise when she suddenly felt a pair of hands grab her by the waist. When she turned, she smiled and playfully hit her laughing boyfriend on the arm.

"I told you not to do that." Loly chuckled.

"I'm just trying to put some color in your cheeks."

"Oh yeah? For what?"

"For this." Ken'Ichi answered, closing his sentence with a soft kiss of his girlfriend's lips. He very briefly pulled away from her only to lay a few more kisses on her lips, each one with more lust than the last. After a few minutes, the two stopped and pulled away gently from each other, smiling.

"So, do you wanna catch a movie or something tonight?" Loly asked.

"Sure." Ken'Ichi quickly remembered his other plan for tonight. "Oh, I forgot. I'm doing something with Toshiro."

Loly gave her boyfriend a skeptical smile. "Should I be jealous?"

"Uh huh, yeah right." Ken'Ichi said sarcastically. "Why don't you come hang out with us?"

"Kenny, I was actually hoping to be alone with you. This is the third time this week that you've had 'plans' with Toshiro." Loly said disappointed, crossing her arms and leaning back on the locker.

"Okay, okay. How about we have a night at your place. Just the two of us, okay?" Whilst saying this, Ken'Ichi got up close with Loly and looked at her with puppy dog eyes as well as quivering lips. A look that she could resist from anyone. Anyone but her boyfriend

"Okay." Loly said somewhat defeated. Ken'Ichi smiled and kissed Loly on her hand before walking off. Loly could only stare disappointingly at him before she sighed and left her locker.

* * *

Later that night, Minoru sat upright on his top bunk as he stared at the ceiling. All he could think about was what happened with Grimmjow. The secrets his found out about him. The confrontation he had with him. His beliefs that Grimmjow was scum that turned out right. He suddenly winced in pain as felt a sting from his bruise on his cheek. He rubbed his cheek with his left arm (that was unbandaged) to try and ease the pain but he only made it worse as he touched it too fast and made the sting worse.

"Owww!" the young boy howled in pain.

"I take it you're not feeling any better."

Minoru looked over to see Ichigo standing in the doorway.

"Looks like the tables have turned." Ichigo joked.

Minoru just stared at him. "You're not funny."

Ichigo walked closer to the bunk-bed and stood by the side.

"Are you okay, Minoru?"

"Do I look okay?"

"See? What's with you? Why are acting so hostile with everyone all the time? And that thing with your brother-"

"He was getting on my nerves, okay?!"

"Oh right. Him giving you medicine and looking out for you really took a toll on your nerves."

"He's been so caught up in his own thing, he doesn't even notice what's been going on in his own home!"

That's not fair to your brother. This had been hard on everyone, including him. He just-"

"God, daddy! Why do you always take someone else's side? I swear, sometimes, none of you have any idea what it's like for me! None of you know what I've been going though!" Minoru's voice began to crack, trembling from the anger and sadness in his heart.

"We're all going through the same thing, Minoru. We-"

"No, we're not!"

Ichigo could hear Minoru sniffling as he saw him tearing up and trembling. Ichigo sighed and stood on top of Ken'Ichi's bed, trying to figure out what's the matter.

"What's wrong, Minoru?" Ichigo asked concerned. "If something is wrong, you know you can tell me. You have to believe that. You know you can tell me anything."

Minoru looked at his orange-haired father through teary eyes. He wanted to tell him about the truth about Grimmjow. He wanted to tell him so badly. But he could still remember how broken and hurt Ichigo was and how miserable everyone was after he and Chad separated. He was pretty sure that Ichigo wouldn't be able to handle that again. The last thing he, Ichigo, and his brothers needed was a relapse of that dreadful night when their family fall apart. Although this was in mind, it was the sound of Grimmjow's maniacal voice that clouded Minoru's mind and impaired his thought process.

**_"Keep your mouth shut and don't mention a word of this to either Ichigo or my wife."_**

The evil look on Grimmjow's face as he had Minoru pinned to the floor and terrified for his life.

**_"If you run your mouth about this to anyone, I will hunt you down, cuz guess what? I know where you live, and how to get in."_**

Grimmjow's creepy laugh and the smell of his hot and sour breath that had made Minoru's hairs stand up. Minoru remebered it all clearly. Too clearly.

**_"Don't mess with me anymore, Minoru. I'm dangerous."_**

"Minoru?" Ichigo asked again.

"I-I'm sorry. I'm just frustrated... about everything. I must've taken those blows harder than I thought." Minoru sarcastically chuckled.

"I know that you're not happy with where your father and I are in terms of our relationship, but you can't let it effect you like this."

"You know what, daddy? I've heard this stupid speech before, so spare me this time, alright?"

Ichigo sighed and leaned in to kiss his son on the side of the head before hopping off of Ken'Ichi's bed and walking out of the room. Minoru's eyes were locked on his orange-haired father and even after he left, Minoru's eyes were stuck on his door. He was caught between a rock and a hard place. If he didn't confess the truth, Ichigo would still be wandering around in the dark with the rest of the family. If he did confess the truth, Grimmjow would have his revenge on him. Minoru knew he was in trouble and he had to think of a way to get out of this mess before his whole family would suffer.

"What do I do now?" Minoru said tiredly as he laid his head on his pillow and grunted frustratedly. Even he had to admit that he would've had a plan by now- if he wasn't so scared.

* * *

**Please R&R this chapter and chapter 13 will be up soon! Happy new year!**

**(Sneak peek at chapter 13: Minoru finds out a secret about Chad and Ken'Ichi and Toshiro ______!)**


	13. And Who He Would Become Part 1

**Chapter 13**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Okay. Who knew hanging out with you at the mall meant toothpaste shopping?"

Ken'Ichi chuckled in response to his friend Toshiro. The two had been walking around in the mall just talking and hanging out with each other. They had been doing this for a few weeks now, yet in that small time frame, both boys felt like they had known each other for years and grew quite fond of each other.

"Well my baby brother keeps squeezing out all the toothpaste." Ken'Ichi grinned. "Hafta make sure I get to the bathroom before he does."

"Oh so that explains it."

"Explains what?"

Toshiro pinched his nose and playfully waved his hand in his face, acting as if he smelled something bad. "Yeah I was trying to be polite and not say anything, but man..." Toshiro said playfully, snickering into laughter.

"Ha ha shut up." Ken'Ichi playfully nudged the white-haired boy in response. The two boys continued to joke around until Ken'Ichi heard the sound of his ring-tone coming from his pocket. He pulled out his cell phone and looked at the screen to see it was a text message from Loly. Ken'Ichi smacked his forehead when he remembered what he had promised Loly a few days before.

"Yikes I got to go." Ken'Ichi said, still looking at his cell phone.

"I thought we were gonna chill tonight." Toshiro said.

"I'm sorry, but I totally promised Loly." Ken'Ichi reasoned. "She's been going on about how we're not spending enough time together."

"I know, but between your girlfriend, and all our classes, I never get to see you. I just really want to... never mind." Toshiro stopped walking and quickly turned away to hid his face, although when Ken'Ichi turned around, he could still very vaguely see a touch of pink on his cheeks.

"Really want to want?" Ken'Ichi asked.

"Toshiro put his hand behind his head and turned back to Ken'Ichi, his face still a light shade of pink.

"I just really want to talk... to you, you know?" Toshiro admitted.

Ken'Ichi stared at the white-haired boy with intrigue. Toshiro just wanted to spend time with him. Ken'Ichi could feel something slightly burning in his stomach; everytime he looked at Toshiro, he felt this strange feeling that he couldn't really put into words. Although he couldn't really describe it, it was a great feeling to feel and he wasn't ready for it go yet.

"Wow, that's-that's really nice of you to say that." Ken'Ichi said with a hint of astonishment.

"Come on Ken. Hang out with me tonight."

The two boys stared at each other with a interested look on their face when Ken'Ichi's cell phone went off once again. He looked and saw that it was Loly calling him now. Ken'Ichi gave a quick glance at Toshiro, who nodded for Ken'Ichi to answer.

"Hello?" Ken'Ichi asked.

_"Babe, Where are you?"_

"Hi Loly. I..." Ken'Ichi paused to look oer at Toshiro, who was smiling back at him. "...I came home after seeing Toshiro and my dad's totally on his man-period or something. I won't go into details."

_"Ugh you poor thing."_

"I'm okay. I just, I think I need to stay home and let it cool over."

_"Okay. Well... I miss you."_

"...I miss you too. Bye."

Ken'Ichi hung up his phone and looked over to Toshiro, slightly frowning. "Now I feel kinda bad."

"It's okay Ken." Toshiroreassured him, patting him on the back. "What she doesn't know won't hurt her."

Ken'Ichi smiled and slung his arm around Toshiro's shoulder as did the other boy and the two walked off. Unknown to them, a certain nosy blonde-haired girl stood inside of a store that was near the two and managed to once again listen in on their conversation.

"Maybe not, but what she does know will hurt you both." Menoly chuckled. "Hehe fags."

* * *

Minoru was fiddling with his father Chad's bass guitar while sitting on the couch of his apartment. The 11 year-old looked up and saw Tetsuya on the floor drawing with crayons on blank sheets of paper. Chad then walked out of the kitchen holding a DVD and a large bowl of popcorn.

"Yay!" Tetsuya squeeled, abandoninghis artwork and running over to his father to grab and tug at his legs.

"Tets, stop. You'll make him slip." Minoru warned.

"It's okay, Nori." Chad reassured, putting the DVD and the bowl of popcorn on the ground in exchange for picking up his son. Tetsuya grinned widely and began to play with Chad's hair. Chad smiled at his son and kissed him on the forehead as he put him back down. Minoru half laughed as he watched his father and brother.

"So, is everything going okay with Ichigo?" Chad asked, picking back up the DVD and popcorn.

"Yes, papa." Tetsuya replied.

"Good. How about you, Nori?"

Minoru didn't respond.

"Minoru?" Chad asked again.

"... Yeah, dad." Minoru replied blandly.

It was an futile effort to try and convince Chad that everything was going okay when he knew damn well that was clearly not the case and that his father would never fall for such a unenthusiastic response. Chad could sense something was wrong, but he was distracted by Tetsuya, who had started to tug at his faded jeans.

"Papa come on! Let's watch the movie already!" Tetsuya whined.

"Okay little man." Chad smiled at Tetsuya before giving a brief look of concern over to Minoru. Chad picked up the DVD and walked over to the DVD player that sat on top of the TV.

"And now, for the tale of a tanuki clan who can see the dead." Chad smirked.

"What? I thought it sounded interesting." Minoru said.

"Oh, I forgot the drinks." Chad realized. "Minoru, can you go into my room and get some sodas, please?"

Minoru nodded in agreement and got up and walked into Chad's bedroom. He walked into the small space which could only barely fit a king-sized bed and a desk with a computer on top. He looked underneath his father's bed and saw a six-pack of soda. When he dragged the six-pack out from under the bed, he also saw a thin white folder with the words "Jumping Giants" written on it in big blue print.

"_The _Jumping Giants?" Minoru said surprised. It looked rather interesting. The Jumping Giants were a famous rock band that was stationed in America but originated from Japan. They were one of the hottest groups in the music industry right now. What would they want with Chad? It looked so tempting to find out what the contents of the folder contained, but Minoru quickly pulled his head out from under the bed, not wanting to poke his nose in his father's business.

"It's none of your business, Minoru." the 11 year-old tried to convince himself, but curiosity got the better of him and before he knew it, he found himself pulling out the white folder from under the bed. Minoru looked over his shoulder to make sure that Chad or Tetsuya didn't see him. He closed the door very gently and opened the folder.

Minoru looked at confusion and slight shock to see a signed document regarding Chad's leave of absence from his job. He looked through the folder and saw a newspaper article regarding the death of the Jumping Giants' bass player, and a passport and plane ticket to California.

Minoru stared incredulously at these pieces of information and put them all together as Chad receiving an invitation to leave Japan and join the music group in America. He couldn't believe that Chad would even consider something like this without not even saying a word to anyone. As if things with Ichigo and Grimmjow weren't bad enough...

"Minoru!" Chad's voice gave Minoru a jolt as the 11 year-old spun around to see that the door was still closed. Minoruslowly opened the door to see Chad sitting on the couch with Tetsuya sitting on his lap, pratically throwing popcorn to his face. He quickly grabbed three bottles of soda and walked out of the bedroom.

"What took you so long?" Tetsuya asked with his mouth full while spitting chucks of popcorn as he talked. "The movie's already started!"

"Did you find something?" Chad asked.

"Yep." Minoru replied, handing over two bottles of sodas to Chad and Tetsuya. "I sure did."

* * *

"Wow, that was awesome!" Ken'Ichi said, as he and Toshiro walked out of the local concert that was being held inside a warehouse studio near the mall.

"Yeah, I didn't think that they were going to be as good as they were, but they proved me so wrong." Toshiro chuckled.

"I really liked how relaxed they were."

"Vibe-ing off of each other, right?" Toshiro added.

Ken'Ichi smiled. "Yeah. I forgot what it was like to be at a concert. Loly hated concerts."

"Really? Because I hate liars more."

Ken'Ichi's eyes grew wide as he silently prayed that the voice that came from behind didn't belong to a certain pigtailed girlfriend of his. The two boys turned around only to see it was their worst fear confirmed: Loly and Menoly were both standing in their faces with their arms crossed. The fact that Loly's facial expression read "pissed off" didn't help at all.

"So... you blew me off for him. Again. That's awesome." Loly said sarcastically. "Look Ken, if you don't want to spend time with me, fine, but you don't have to lie to me."

"Loly, babe-"

"But you don't have to worry about that anymore. Spend as much time with your new boyfriend as you want, because we're through." Loly rudely pushed past Ken'Ichi and Toshiro with her snickering sister following right behind her. Ken'Ichi sighed frustratedly, feeling a headache coming on.

* * *

Chad had been driving in his car with Minoru and Tetsuya in the backseat to drop them off back home. Chad glanced at his rearview mirror and smiled at Tetsuya, who was happily playing with the action figure that Chad surprised him with back at his apartment. Chad then turned his glance over to Minoru, had been sitting in silence, simply staring out of the window with his arms crossed. A concerned look appeared on Chad's face. Minoru had been quiet ever since back at the apartment.

After a few more minutes, the car pulled up to the kids' apartment.

"Alright, guys. See you soon." Chad said.

"Bye papa!" Tetsuya shouted.

"I know all about California. And the Jumping Giants. You bought a plane ticket and everything."

A brutal and sudden realization hit Chad, as he turned back around to face his son. Minoru was looking right back at him with a disappointed look in his face.

"Minoru... about that--"

"--Were you even gonna tell me?" Minoru said in a sad and sicouraged tone. The young boy slowly shook his head in disappointment. "You promised us no more secrets..."

Chad opened his mouth to try and say something, but he just couldn't find the words to explain. Minoru just scoffed and opened the car door and slammed it shut. He then went to the over side of the car and swung open the door, nearly yanking Tetsuya out of the car and closed it firmly. First Ichigo, then Grimmjow, and now this. This was all too much for him to take in.

Chad lowered his head and glanced over to the rearview mirror. He was Minoru walking into the building while still holding Tetsuya. He exhaled tightly and he drove off, cursing himself for letting down his kids... again.

* * *

Toshiro opened the door of his bedroom and motioned for Ken'Ichi to come in. Ken'Ichi looked around and saw the white-haired boy's room to be rather bland, as the small room contained only a bed, a desk with a laptop and a stool with a lamp next to the bed. The only other door in the room was the one that led to his closet.

"Yeayh I'm still getting settled." Toshiro said.

"I actually like it." Ken'Ichi said.

"You do? Really?"

"Yeah. It's like your not concerned with any passing trends or anything."

"Thanks."

"Well, were is your aunt?"

"She's out on a date. Wonder who the bozo she's bringing home is this time."

There was something about that statement that reminded Ken'Ichi of his family. His father, Ichigo. His brothers, Minoru and Tetsuya. Ichigo's boyfriend, Grimmjow. Even Chad popped into his mind. The 13 year-old sighed and sat down on the edge of Toshiro's bed.

"You know, my father's dating a bozo too." Ken'Ichi sarcastically laughed.

"Grimmjow, right?"

"Yep. And you've seen my family. My brothers hate his guts."

"Yeah, how could I forget? They're all a spirited bunch."

Ken'Ichi chuckled at Toshiro's response.

"Especially Minoru. He has daggers set for you."

Ken'Ichi lowered his head. "I don't blame him if he does. He's really upset with me right now. He has been for a year."

"A year? What happened?"

Ken'Ichi sighed as he remembered the events from a year ago and how badly everything turned out to be.

"Over a year ago, I caught my other father... having an affair."

"Really?" Toshiro said incredulously.

Ken'Ichi nodded in response. "After I found out, my father, Chad, begged me not to tell Ichigo. He even bought me gifts to keep me from telling. Well... let's just say some things happened and... I-I was so angry that day... I told Ichigo... everything."

Toshiro listened attentively while Ken'Ichi continued.

"Next thing I know, Ichigo kicks him out, and me and my brothers... we were forced to pick up the pieces of our family." Ken'Ichi sniffed. "I tried to convience myself that I did the right thing, but I still felt so.. horrible. I beat myself so many times, completely regretting everything I said and done. But I had to be strong to take care of Ichigo and my brothers. I felt like I owed them that much."

"You did the right thing, Ken." Toshiro assured, patting Ken'Ichi on his shoulder.

"No I didn't." Ken'Ichi said as he got up from the bed and faced the wall with his back towards Toshiro. He was completely still, and his voice grew to a soft whisper. "Let's just say I... was insecure.. about them. My real parents died in a fire when I was a baby. I was lucky enough to be adopted by Ichigo and Chad a month later, but it never felt right, and not because they were foster parents. People would stare at us and whisper these mean things about us and we had to pretend like we didn't hear it. I lost alot of friends. Was always forced to defend against discrimination. That was my life. And I got fed up. I won't go too deep into details."

"You can't control what people think, Ken'Ichi. Just like you can't control what Minoru thinks. You can't make him forgive you, especially if you haven't forgiven yourself."

Ken'Ichi turned around and slowly walked back to the bed and sighed as he sat down next to Toshiro.

Toshiro didn't know that Ken'Ichi had such a heavy and dark past to him. He always thought that Ken'Ichi was just a regular teenager, but know that he actually got to know him better, he never would've guessed that underneath his exterior, there was a complex and sensitive personality. The two boys sat in silence for a few minutes before Toshiro broke the silence first.

"Sorry about Loly." Toshiro said.

"It's okay." Ken'Ichi reassured. "I'm sure she'll call any minute and be like 'Kenny, let's never break up again' and all that."

Toshiro looked over at Ken'Ichi and felt something burning in his stomach that he never felt before. "I'm messing things up for you Ken'Ichi. Alright, I mean first Dan, then Loly. I just, I... gotta stop hanging out."

Ken'Ichi looked deep into Toshiro's green eyes and felt that sensation burning in his stomach once again. The feeling that he only felt when he looked at him.

"I don't want you to stop."

Both boy didn't know who leaned in first nor did they care. All they know was they found each other's lips locked together in a soft kiss. Both boy moved closer to each other as Toshiro's hands wrapped around Ken'Ichi's waist while Ken'Ichi wrapped his around Toshiro's neck. Before things could go any further, the ringing of Ken'Ichi's cell phone interrupted and forced the boys to pull away from each other. Ken'Ichi roughly fished through his pocket and pulled out his phone to see that it was indeed Loly. The brown-haired boy stared at the phone briefly before he glanced over at Toshiro, who was still panting softly. Before he even realized it, Ken'Ichi ignored the call and crashed his lips back into Toshiro's, deepening the kiss. Both boys parted their mouths for the other boy to explore as they slowly lured each other down to the bed.

**To be continued...**

* * *

**Thank you for reading. Please read and comment and chapter 14 will be up very soon! :D**

**(Sneak peek at chapter 14: Ken'Ichi and Minoru's lives gets complicated--In more ways than one.) :P**


	14. And Who He Would Become Part 2

**Chapter 14**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Ken'Ichi lazily opened one eye as he smacked his lips tiredly. As his still sleepy vision began to clear up, his slowly realized that he wasn't in his own bed, in his own room, in his own home. Yawning and stretching the sleep out of his system, he looked around only to see his cell phone, his blue striped jacket, as well as his white shoes that he had worn the night before on the floor, in the bland and spacious room. Continuing to look around the unfamiliar room, Ken'Ichi's eyes grew to the size of Frisbees when he saw a certain white-haired boy sleeping next to him. Ken'Ichi ran his hands through his brown hair as he started to remember what had happened the night before.

"Oh my god." Ken'Ichi whispered incredously, covering his hand over his mouth in shock. "Did we...?" The brown-haired boy quickly lifted the sheets to see if his clothes were still on. He breathed a small sigh of relief when he saw that his white T-shirt and blue jeans had remained intact and untouched, albeit wrinkled from sleeping.

"Ken'Ichi?" Toshiro tiredly grunted, which startled the other boy. Ken'Ichi quickly turned to the wall, not wanting to look directly at the white-haired boy.

"Toshiro, last night, did we..." Ken'Ichi awkwardly motioned his hands, tring to figure out the words to say. Toshiro looking away and blushing didn't make things better for the brunette boy.

"We may have reached... maybe second base?" Toshiro replied. Ken'Ichi turned back around and stared at the other boy in slight horror.

"Second base?!" Ken'Ichi whispered incredously, running his hand through his brown hair. "Are you sure?"

Toshiro gave the brunette a weird look. "Yes I'm sure and you should be too. You were kinda there."

Ken'Ichi couldn't believe what had happened. He wasn't even drinking the night before which was odd because he barely remembered what had happened the night before. The last thing he remembered was staring into the green abyss that were Toshiro's emerald green eyes before connecting with the boy's beautiful, soft lips...

"What am I doing?" I can't be here." Ken'Ichi realized, rushing out of the white-haired boy's bed.

"Ken'Ichi?" Toshiro asked. Ken'Ichi didn't respond; he had grabbed his shirt off the floor and hastily put it back on. The white-haired boy repeated the boy's name again only to be once again ignored by him, only getting a very brief glance from him as he grabbed his shoes that were on the floor.

"Ken'Ichi!" Toshiro said once again, his patience already wearing slightly thin. Ken'Ichi put down his shoes and turned back around to face the white-haired boy that was still in bed.

"My family is probably worried about me, so I should, uh I should get going." Ken'Ichi resumed getting himself together to leave. He grabbed his phone and saw that several messages that been left by his father, confirming his suspicions. "Yep, I was right."

"Hey. I'm Toshiro, your friend. Can you just talk to me?"

Ken'Ichi sighed, but he kept his back turned to Toshiro, his head hung low. "I can't even begin to process what happened last night."

"Ken, come on. Why is it-"

"Stop it, man!" Ken'Ichi spun around, angrily facing his friend. "I just spent the night in your bed, Toshiro. You! Another guy! I don't-" Ken'Ichi fumbled his words in frustration and turned back around, putting his hands on Toshiro's drawer. "I can't deal with it, okay? I can't deal with you."

Toshiro didn't reply to him. He simply got out of bed and walked towards the door, pulling it open and motioning for Ken'Ichi to leave.

"Fine. Just go." Toshiro's voice was cold and monotonous, which sent a small shiver dowm his spine. Nonetheless, the brunette quickly grabbed his shoes and phone and walked out of the white-haired boy's room. Toshiro sighed and shut back his door.

* * *

"Hey, sorry I'm late!" Ken'Ichi ran through the open door of his classroom. He smiled sheepishly at his teacher, Amegai-san, who simply pointed to the young boy's assigned desk in the back and muttered something about the importance of coming to school on time. Ken'Ichi nodded in response and walked to his desk, looking over at Hiyori, who sat next to him.

"Hey Hiyori." Ken'Ichi whispered.

"Hey. What happened to you over the weekend? I tried calling you but I kept getting the machine."

"Um I'm not quite sure how to, how to describe what happened exactly." Ken'Ichi looked away in embarrassment.

"I heard what happened with you and Loly. Tough luck man."

"It actually... has nothing to do with her." Ken'Ichi confessed. "This is someone else."

An intrigued look appeared on Hiyori's face as she scooted closer to Ken'Ichi desk. "Did you meet somebody else? Do I know her?"

"Um... you might, uh you know who _she_ is."

"Come on, don't hold out on me. What's really happening?"

Ken'Ichi sighed in defeat and looked over to Amegai-san to make sure that he wasn't looking over at him. He wasn't; Amegai-san was in front of the board, giving a lesson on something about some book that was supposed to have been read.

"Can I ask you a question?" Ken'Ichi asked. Hoyori nodded in response.

"Do you ever think about girls?"

Ken'Ichi was met with a weird, confused, and almost offended look on Hiyori's face. "Uh interesting question to ask first thing in the morning. I know I'm not the most girlish, but did you forget the years that I dated Wonderweiss?"

"But just because you're straight doesn't mean you can't think about girls every now and then, right?"

Hiyori stared at her friend with a confused expression. "Are you trying to hook me up with someone?" Hiyori's expression than went from confused to a little creeped out. "W-Wait a minute. That means there's a girl out there who likes me?"

"No. The object of same-sex affection's... pretty much me."

"You?" Hiyori's expression once again went back to confused before she gasped softly, realizing something. "Oh I knew it! It's Wonderweiss, isn't it? Ken, I know he's with Lilynette, but I've seen the way he looks at you and-"

"Ew, no!" Ken'Ichi replied, disgusted. "It's not Wonderweiss! It's..." Ken'Ichi lowered his head down to hid the red tint that was invading his face. Instead, he could only point to the direction of a certain white-haired boy who sat at the far upper right corner of the classroom in the first row. Hiyori's eyes grew wide in realization when she saw who her friend was talking about.

"Toshiro?!" Hiyori whispered incredulously, looking back at Ken'Ichi. Ken'Ichi could only blush harder as he nodded his head in response and leaned over to Hiyori.

"On friday night, he kissed me."

Hiyori's mouth dropped in surprise, the only word coming out of her mouth was a surprised "wow". She remained in awe for a few more seconds before teens nearly jumped at the shout that came from the front of the classroom.

"Kurosaki!" Amegai-san called to the brunette. Ken'Ichi and Hiyori could feel the burning glares of all the rest of their classmates staring at them, one of which was Toshiro.

"Um yeah. Sorry sir." Ken'Ichi replied.

"I hope you are back there whispering about verb/noun agreement."

"Yeah. Ken'Ichi was helping me understand something back here." Hiyori replied in Ken'Ichi's defense.

Amegai-san nodded and resumed to teaching about his lesson, the rest of the students also turning their attention back to the front of the room. Ken'Ichi looked off into Toshiro's direction, thinking what he was going to do. Why did he kiss that boy, a _second_time? He didn't know what had came over him either times. Was it possible that maybe he gave Toshiro the wrong idea? Sent him mixed signals? The brunette wished he had never spent so much time with him, ditching his friends and Loly for him.

_HHHHHMMMMM!_

Ken'Ichi's thoughts were interrupted by the soft but noticeable vibration in his left pocket. He reached into his pocket and flipped open his cell phone and saw that it was Toshiro who had sent him a text message.

*Could you deal with lunch?*

Ken'Ichi looked over at Toshiro. The white-haired boy had his head lowered, but it was obvious that he was texting, seeing that his hands were hidden underneath his desk and his chair was scooted slightly back to text. Ken'Ichi sighed. He didn't want to even consider that he could be gay or even bi. He just didn't want to have that label marked on him. His parents were gay; his was straight.

*Have to print my essay. Sorry.*

Ken'Ichi looked over to Toshiro and was met with upset green eyes. Toshiro quickly turned back around to face the chalkboard. Ken'Ichi exhaled sympathetically. Toshiro did deserve to know the truth.

*2nd period— alley behind school?*

Ken'Ichi looked over once again to Toshiro and saw the white-haired boy smiling back at him before he put away his phone. Ken'Ichi looked back down at smiled slightly.

* * *

As Minoru made his way to the corner of the hall in his school, he rolled his eyes when he saw Chad standing at the front of the entrance doors.

"The front office pulled me out of class for this? and to think, one of the few times I don't skip." Minoru said, rolling his eyes. He turned back around to walk back to class when he felt a pair of strong arm grab him by the shoulders and hold him in place.

"No Minoru, please wait." Chad pleaded.

Minoru folded his arms and turned his head to the wall next to him, not wanting to look at Chad right now.

"It's true that I've been thinking alot about my old band lately. And when they called about their bass player dying a couple of weeks ago, well- it was a little confusing."

"...Do you want to go?" Minoru turned his eyes back to his father.

Chad looked down and took a deep breath; he didn't respond.

"Do you?" Minoru asked again.

"... I don't know."

Minoru half laughed at his father's response. "Which is why you're going to California." Minoru tried to walk away, but his father kept a firm enough grip on him.

"_Thinking _about going to California. I didn't want to tell anyone until I was completely sure. I was trying to avoid hurting you guys, which obviously worked out." Chad smirked sarcastically.

"I saw the plane ticket, Dad." Minoru said. "Speaking of dads, what about you and Ichigo? You're just gonna give up trying to win him back?"

"I still love Ichigo, I truly do. But I can't deal with where I am with him right now. I just need to figure things out. You understand, right?"

Minoru didn't respond. He gently brushed his father's arms off his shoulders and headed back to class. Chad sighed as he felt a sense of strange sense deja vu, being reminded of what had happened between him and Ken'Ichi in the same hallway a year before.

* * *

Ken'Ichi took a preparatory breath when he saw Toshiro sitting on top of a staircase in the alleyway that was behind the school. He tried not to, but he couldn't help but feel that indescribable feeling he would usually feel whenever he looked at the white-haired boy, but now he knew that it was wrong to feel that way.

"Suck it up. You can do this." Ken'Ichi whispered very softly to himself. He took another deep breath and called out his friend's name.

"Oi, Toshiro." Ken'Ichi said, his voice very slightly trembling. Toshiro looked over to the sidewalk to see Ken'Ichi walking over to him and smirked.

"Hey, um Toshiro we need to talk." Ken'Ichi said. Toshiro nodded in response, scooting over to make room for Ken'Ichi on the staircase. Ken'Ichi sat down next to Toshiro and exhaled.

"I like hanging out with you and you're a really cool guy, but this can't happen. I'm not a…" Ken'Ichi quickly looked all around to see if anyone was watching them. No one was. "...I'm not gay."

"And what? You think I am?"

"Well you're the one who kissed me."

"What are you, four? And for the record you kissed me first, both times."

Ken'Ichi groaned softly. He had a feeling that whatever was going on wasn't too one-sided. "I'm not even supposed to like people like you. People who look angry and annoyed all the time and hate everyone."

Toshiro half-laughed. "I don't hate you. Even if you are one of the popular idiots who travel in pacts of at least three drinks espresso and laughs way too loud."

Ken'Ichi chuckled softly. "I have to laugh when I'm around you. I really can't help it."

"And I have to be better when I'm around you. I really can't help it either."

At the exact same time, both boys leaned in as a pair of warm lips descended on the other in a soft kiss. Ken'Ichi was well aware that he was once again kissing Toshiro, he was too preoccupied with the moist and soft lips that pressed against his own to give a damn. A pair of arms wound across Ken'Ichi's waist as Ken'Ichi rested his hands on Toshiro's cheeks. After a few minutes, both boys pulled away far enough to see each other's faces clearly. The two smiled contently at each before they leaned back in and resumed their kiss, kissing each other deeper and passionately than ever before.

* * *

Behind the large bushes that were across from the alleyway, a certain boy with spiked red hair with the end in a braid and yellow eyes was silently watching the two boys having an intimate moment, smirking with satisfaction that he was actually right about his brown-haired rival. The digital camera he was holding clicked without the flash. Looking back to see through the photos he took on his camera, the red-haired boy grinned widely as he stared at the picture of Ken'Ichi and Toshiro making out on his camera.

_'Can't really say I'm surprised.' _Menis thought to himself, a malicious grin creeping on his face, _'But I'm still gonna enjoy this.'_

* * *

**My heart goes out to the country of Haiti. It's an understatement to say that something like that is tragic and devastating. But on a positive note, the 24th was my birthday! Happy 18th birthday to me :D!! Please read and leave a review/comment and the next chapter will be up soon!**


	15. My Secret Heart Forbidden

**Chapter 15**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

The door to Ichigo's bedroom creaked open causing Ichigo toopen his tired and sleepy eyes. He had enjoyed a day off from work as well as having the house to himself while the kids were at school. Although he had pretty much slept half the day away already, it was still nice to be able to sleep without any noise or fighting.

The strawberry blonde rubbed his eyes as he sat up in his bed, yawning to try and stay awake long enough to see how it was. He let out a small disappointed sigh, thinking that the kids were back from school. The house had been peaceful and quiet all day and Ichigo wasn't ready to have to go back to having to hear fighting and shouting all around the apartment.

"Ken'Ichi? Minoru? You guys home from school already?" Ichigo mumbled tiredly.

"No."

That voice made Ichigo snap out of his drowsy state as he registered that voice that he hadn't heard in a while. The deep, manly voice with just a very small drop of a Mexican accent. He knew that voice all too well, although he hadn't heard it in such a long while. Before Ichigo even realized it, he was staring up in front of the tall and muscular Mexican man he once called his lover.

"C-Chad? How did you get in here?" Ichigo asked. The strawberry-blonde was visibly shocked to see that Chad was standing in the doorway of his bedroom. Chad was wearing a simple white v-neck with blue jeans. He was breathing somewhat heavy and had an intense look on his face, almost as if he was about to start a fight.

"Ichigo, I'm tired of playing games. I want my family back."

"What?" Ichigo folded his arms, staring at the bigger man with his signature scowl. "And you really still think that's your decis-"

"Shut up and listen to me, strawberry."

Chad's tone was stern and cold, enough to make Ichigo cringe in fear despite his best efforts to keep his composure. Nonetheless, he silenced himself and allowed Chad to continue talking.

"I know that I've made mistakes before- it's an understatement to say what happened with Nova was just a mistake, but you have to trust me now."

Ichigo sighed, but still maintained his scowl. "You hurt me."

"I know." Chad softly replied.

"No. You don't really know." Ichigo unfolded his arms and slipped out of bed, walking up to the bigger man. "I loved you ever since I was fifteen. You were the very first guy I ever gave my heart to. The one I was sure that I could spend the rest of my life with."

Ichigo's voice grew softer as his face loosened up to a more soft and vulnerable expression. He tried hard not to cry, but that didn't stop the tears from forming in his eyes.

"Do you have any idea? Do you have any idea what my life has been like for the past year? What the kids' lives have been like? I wanted to die, Chad, I felt that bad!"

Chad didn't respond.

"And no matter what I may say or do in front of the kids or anyone, it kills me to know that I'm--" Ichigo began to well up, but quickly regained himself to finish.

"...I'm still in love-- with you, Chad."

Ichigo had been keeping that realization hidden for a long time and if only he wasn't so... hurt and disappointed in Chad, he would've been more than willing to take back Chad.

"... Count on me now, Ichigo Kurosaki, because I love you." Chad walked up to Ichigoand grabbed his hands. "I will never giveup. Not until you forgive me."

Ichigo stared deep into Chad's soft brown eyes and remembered all the good times he had with Chad. From their first date to their first encounter together to adopting their first child. All the memories with Chad, everything the two had been through together, and especially their family, it was all far too much to simply throw away.

"...I already did."

All the barriers and shields that Ichigo had spent so long building up and maintaining to the other man came crashing down when he pulled his hands out of Chad's grip and placed them on the other man's cheeks.

"I love you."

Ichigo was somewhat surprised when a large hand gently pulled the slim man into a soft kiss. Ichigo didn't protest and in fact melted into the other man's soft lips. The two men stayed in that position for seemed like an eternity until Ichigo broke the kiss, even though inside he wanted nothing more but to stay like this.

"I missed you, you jerk." Ichigo chuckled. Chad smirked with a breath of satisfaction and reconnected his lips with Ichigos, luring the smaller man back into the bed as the two deepened their long-awaited kiss.

They had both waited so long for this moment, but that only made it all the more damn worth it.

* * *

Ichigo quickly sat up in his bed with his eyes wide and his face a bit sweaty. He was breathing hard as he looked around and saw himself in his empty bedroom. He looked at his alarm clock and saw that it was half past noon. He had been asleep all morning, ever since he dropped off Tetsuya at daycare. Ichigo sighed and fell back down on his pillow with his hand on his forehead.

"Another dream about him..." Ichigo whispered. This was the fourth time that Ichigo had dreamt of Chad.

Ichigo was still pissed off at Chad, that much was certain.

However, he also couldn't deny that he missed him.

Not for much longer, anyway.

* * *

Dan put his math book away in his locker and pulled out his wallet from his pants pocket. He had been waiting for lunch all day and it couldn't have come at a better time because he was starving. He closed his locker and made his way to the cafeteria when he shuttered at the all-too familiar voice that came from behind him. He cursed silently to himself, hoping that it wasn't a certain red-haired jerk. He turned his head around slowly and cursed again when he saw that he was indeed him.

"Dan the man." Menis chuckled. "Loving that spray tan, but it's starting to run."

Dan sarcastically laughed at Menis' comment. "Menis man, tell me-- how long have you been rockin' that gorgeous scar on your neck?"

Although Menis gave Dan a very dirty look, Dan couldn't help but laugh. He remembered when Ken'Ichi and Menis fought last year. Though Ken'Ichi was pretty messed up after the fight, Menis had to have surgery because of a large wound on his neck that was wouldn't stop gushing out blood and had to be closed immediately. He had stitches for months and even after he got those taken off, a large ugly scar remained on Menis' neck to this day.

"Seriously Menis, what do you want?" Dan flatly asked.

"World peace, salami sub, and a chance to talk to my good friend Dan-e."

"We're not friends." Dan coldly corrected.

A mocking sad expression appeared on Menis' face, to Dan's annoyance. "So you don't want to hear my news then?"

"Wow, you're not as dumb as you look after all!" Dan sarcastically remarked as he rolled his eyes and began to walk away from the red-haired boy.

"That Ken'Ichi's gone the gay way."

Dan stopped dead in his tracks as he registered what the other boy said to him. He turned back around to face Menis, a cofused yet offended look on his face.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me." Menis said, slowly walking up to Dan. "Yeah, I just saw Ken'Ichi lay a big ol' smooch on Toshiro."

"I'm not getting involved in this." Dan tried to walk away from Menis, but Menis ran up in front of him, blocking his way.

"Listen! Do you really think that your best friend wants to go through his years here as the school queer?"

"You're being disgusting." Dan tried to move, but Menis stepped into his direction, denying him escape.

"I'm being honest! And what about you huh?"

A confused expression then appeared on Dan's face. "What about me?"

"Are you looking forward to those inevitable rumours about you and Ken'Ichi? Is that how you want to be known as?"

Dan stared at the other boy with surprise and anger at the same time, gritting his teeth to try and suppress his wanting to knock the red out of Menis' hair.

"Had a feeling you'd call my bluff." Menis fished though his pants pocket and pulled out a folded picture and handed it to Dan. "Which is why I brought evidence."

Dan eyed the picture curiously, which was purposely facing down with the blank side on top. Menis was a lying, manipulative, jerk who has had it out for Ken'Ichi for years. He could've easily been making this up. Although Menis did have a point. Even Dan had to admit, Ken and Toshiro _had _been hanging out together alot lately. And when Ken'Ichi blew him off for Toshiro, he had a tiny glimmer of curiosity as to whether or not it was _just_ wanting to make new friends or something more.

Dan took a deep breath and grabbed the picture from Menis' hand, flipping it over to see the actual photo. Menis smiled an accomplished smirk when he saw Dan's eyes grow wide and his jaw drop, too shocked for articulate words to form but instead only a sharp sigh of disbelief escaped his throat.

* * *

Ken'Ichi sat in class, daydreaming about Toshiro and not paying attention to the lesson at hand when he was snapped back to reality when he heard the door slam. He along with the other students and the teacher jumped in surprise when they saw Dan standing in front of the door, looking visibly pissed off.

"Ken'Ichi, I need to speak to you now!" Dan shouted.

Ken'Ichi smiled sheepishly, although clearly he was slightly embarrassed. "Kinda busy right now."

"I bet you'll be even busier later…with _him_!"

Instigating 'oohs' and whispers invaded the classroom in response with the teacher trying to calm everyone down. The little embarrassment Ken'Ichi was feeling before was now ten-fold; he could feel his face turning red as he looked at his best friend with an incredulous expression.

"W-What are you talking abo-" Ken'Ichi was cut off by a strong hand that grabbed him by the arm and nearly dragged him out of the classroom, taking him into the nearby bathroom and pinning him on the bathroom stall.

"What the hell was all that for, man?!" Ken'Ichi angrily asked. "What are you doing?!"

"No, what are _you _doing?! With Toshiro Hitsuguya?! Is he like your boyfriend now?"

Ken'Ichi opened his mouth to speak, but he was interrupted by Dan, who pulled out the picture of Ken'Ichi and Toshiro kissing, to Ken'Ichi's shock.

" You and Toshiro! Out back behind the school exchanging spit! I know, Ken'Ichi. And don't you dare say it isn't true."

Ken'Ichi's jaw dropped at this startling new Revelation. He couldn't say that it wasn't true, his best friend was holding the evidence in his face. Then again, he couldn't say anything if he wanted to. The brown-haired boy was far too shocked to say a word. After a few minutes of awkward and uncomfortable silence, Ken'Ichi finally managed to only say a few words.

"...Who told you?" Ken'Ichi whispered in a faint voice.

"Of all people, Menis."

Menis. That name That name pricked Ken'Ichi's side like a thorn puncturing and penetrating through the most soft and delicate skin. Although they made sure to steer clear away from each other, Ken'Ichi hadn't gotten over all the horrible they said to one another, not to mention when they fought each other last year, when both were badly injured and Menis even had to get surgery. Menis was the cause of alot of bad things in Ken'Ichi's life and he damn sure wasn't going to let him be the albatross around his neck any longer.

"Ken'Ichi, did you switch teams and not tell me?"

No! No Dan. I'm not gay, man!" Ken'Ichi nervously chuckled. "I've been with Loly. I've dated lots of girls."

"Well, then how come Menis saw you kissing Toshiro? I mean, he took a frickin' picture of it!"

Ken'Ichi looked down on the floor and thought this out. His only bail-out from this whole mess would rely on this explanation. He couldn't screw it up. He couldn't afford to. He was already on the edge.

"... I... um, I just got caught up in a moment."

Dan raised his eyebrow in skepticism. "And that's all?"

"Of course. It was totally stupid. It meant nothing to me. He means nothing."

"Really?" said a faint voice from behind the two boys. Ken'Ichi and Dan both turned around to see Toshiro standing in front of the bathroom door. When did the white-haired boy walk in? Had Ken'Ichi been that deep in explaining himself? Apparently Toshiro had overheard alot, as his expression read both angry and hurt. Toshiro just exhaled angrily and stormed out of the bathroom. Ken'Ichi pushed past Dan and ran after him, stopping him at the top of the staircases.

"Don't bother." Toshiro hissed.

"Toshiro, please! I don't want to lose your friendship."

"How can you lose something you never had?" Toshiro spat coldly.

Ken'Ichi took a short sigh. "Okay, I deserve that, but please you have to understand."

"How could you?"

"I do not like boys. I _cannot _like boys!" Ken'Ichi stressed through gritted teeth.

"Then why did you kiss me?" Toshiro asked in a soft whisper.

Ken'Ichi scratched his head, trying to find the right words to say to the white-haired boy. "I don't know. I felt bad. I didn't want to hurt you."

"Who needs you and your stupid pity, huh? I don't!" Toshiro pushed past Ken'Ichi and made his descend down the stairs.

Ken'Ichi sighed in frustration. Although he grew up around his fathers and was exposed to homosexuality, he himself never wanted to be with other men. He never craved for a man's touch. Even before he knew that he was adopted, Ken'Ichi never shook the fact that his parents were different from other parents. He never saw other kids his age with two fathers or on TV or in the media or anything like that. He always thought that it was wrong. He didn't want to be like that when he grew up. He wanted a wife and kids of his own. He never asked to be falling for another male.

It didn't make any option now, as Ken'Ichi had already fell for Toshiro.

* * *

_Knock Knock Knock!!_

Ichigo opened the door to his apartment and smiled at the teal-haired man that stood on the other side.

"Hey, Ichi-boo." Grimmjow said in a sultry voice. He walked in and greeted Ichigo with a short but passionate kiss. Grimmjow pulled away when he felt Ichigo chuckle in his mouth.

"What's so funny?"

"Ichi-boo? That's new." Ichigo chuckled.

"What? I can't give you nicknames, now?" Grimmjow playfully replied, pulling Ichigo close by the waist.

"Close the door. The neighbors might see you." Ichigo smirked.

"Then let's give them a show." Grimmjow lustfully replied. Ichigo let out a low moan when Grimmjow began to lay kisses on the base of his neck. To Ichigo's dismay, Grimmjow pulled away to close the entrance door.

"Hey why don't we go out tonight? See a movie, grab a bite?" Ichigo asked. "I can always ask Ken'Ichi to look after his brothers."

"Or we could stay in cuz I happen to have some party favors." Grimmjow fished through his jacket pockets and pulled out two small bags of cocaine. He rushed to the kitchen counter and took out aluminum foil from the cabinet. Ichigo walked into the kitchen with his hands crossed and a skeptical look on his face. He was a doctor, but he never knew firsthand just how bad the side effects were. He swore to his kids that he would never do it again, and he had no intention of breaking that promise.

"Umm-- You know after we did that, I felt sick. Horrible. I never want to do it again." Ichigo said.

"Come on. We had fun." Grimmjow reasoned.

"Maybe, but it wasn't fun having my pay deducted because of me not telling the hospital why I couldn't come in!"

"Ichigo, that's how it's supposed to feel the first time." Grimmjow walked over to Ichigo and pulled him close. "Okay, let's just have some fun. No drugs, no stress, just you and me."

Ichigo nodded and kissed Grimmjow with passion and force. The orange-haired man let out a low moan when he felt Grimmjow plant kisses all over Ichigo's face. There was something vaguely familiar about the way Grimmjow touched him. The way his hands traveled up and down his partner's back, rubbing on the curbs of his bottom. He remembered the way Chad would touch him whenever they were in bed. Whenever they were in the kitchen or in the bathroom or in the car. It felt so good. A little _too _good. He forgot how good it felt to be with someone like this.

"Chad..." Ichigo moaned.

Ichigo and Grimmjow's eyes both grew wide in shock as to what was just echoed in the kitchen. Grimmjow quickly stepped back from Ichigo, shocked and confused as to what his orange-haired lover had just called him.

"...What did you just say?"

Ichigo had to admit that he messed up big time. "Uhhh, wow this is hard."

"Answer the question. What did you just call me?"

"Grimmjow, listen. This might be a good time to tell you that... I think we should take a little bit of a break. Nothing major."

Grimmjow looked at Ichigo with surprise. "You're kidding, right?"

"Sorry. I just need a break. It's nothing to freak over."

"Don't tell me not to freak. You're dumping me!" Grimmjow's voice began to raise in anger. Ichigo tried to comfort him, but Grimmjow batted his arm away angrily.

"No, I didn't say I was! You're not understanding me." Ichigo tried to reason with Grimmjow, but the green-haired man clearly wasn't trying to hear it.

"I think I do. Chad, right?"

"This has nothing to do with--"

"Then why did you call out his name? Huh?" Grimmjow walked up to Ichigo and stared him in the eyes, his face mere inches from his. "Look me in the eyes and tell me you don't still have feelings for him."

Ichigo opened his mouth to try and explain himself, but words simply couldn't form in his throat. He liked Grimmjow, but the truth of the matter was, no matter what, his heart still belonged to Chad.

Grimmjow sarcastically smiled, thinking just as much. "Take care of yourself, Kurosaki." Grimmjow walked past Ichigo and stormed out of the apartment. Ichigo stood in place for a long time, not believing what he just did. He wanted to chase after grimmjow and He really did like Grimmjow. Alot.

But he had a feeling that he was still in love with Yasutora Sado.

* * *

"T-Toshiro? Your aunt let me in." Ken'Ichi said as he made his way to Toshiro's open bedroom door in his home. School had ended about an hour ago, but Ken'Ichi spent the last 20 minutes trying to work up the nerve just to ring the doorbell. Toshiro didn't respond nor did he look back at the door. He was busy studying and writing down notes. However, he threw down his pencil in what appeared to be frustration.

"Is there any room for a stupid boy?" Ken'Ichi half laughed.

"Already got one." Toshiro quickly replied.

"Well, Well how about room for someone who's ready to stop worrying so much about what other people think? Or at least try to?"

It took a while for Toshiro to respond. Toshiro then turned his head slightly to see the other boy from the corner of his eye. "...There might be room for him."

Ken'Ihi walked over to Toshiro's bed and sat down on the side to be close to Toshiro. The white-haired boy had his back to him, but he still had his head turned slightly.

"I'm sorry about before, what I said."

Toshiro sighed. "Whatever, Ken. It's cool."

"No, it's not." Ken'Ichi got up and spun Toshiro around his chair to look him in the face. "Toshiro Hitsuguya, I said you were nothing to me, which…which is a complete and total lie because right now... you're pretty much everything to me."

It took Toshiro a minute to become convinced that this was actually real and that Ken'Ichi wasn't playing him again. The look in Ken'Ichi's eye reassured him that Ken'Ichi was serious and that he wanted to be with him. But to be completely convinced, Toshiro leaned in and kissed Ken'Ichi on the lips. To the white-haired boy's fair surprise, Ken'Ichi pressed his lips to kiss him back. The two slowly pulled away from each other.

"I like you Toshiro."

"...I like you too, Ken'Ichi."

The two boys stared at each other with smiles on their faces until Ken'Ichi could feel his pocket vibrating.

"Could I use your restroom?" Ken'Ichi asked.

"Sure. It's the second door on the right." Toshiro replied.

Ken'Ichi kissed the boy on the cheek and walked out of the room. He walked up to the second door to the right and knocked to see if anyone was there. No one was. He then opened the door and closed it quickly, leaning on the door from inside. He pulled out his vibrating phone from his pocket and opened the phone to see who it was.

*Baby, I'm so glad you and I worked things out after school today. We _are_ still on for later tonight, right? I love you. XOXO Loly.*

Ken'Ichi sighed.

*Yeah we still are, baby. I love you too, Loly.*

* * *

**Sorry if the updates have slowed down. Senior year of high school is no joke! Anyway, I digress. This story is far from over so please R&R and the next chapter will be up soon!**


	16. Just To Tear It Down

**Chapter 16**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

**Warning: Alot happens in this chapter, so be warned that there will be language, slight voilence and drug content.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Ichigo stared at his cell phone and started to play idly with the small device, his fingers flipping it open only to shut it closed every two seconds. He hadn't seen or heard from Grimmjow in four days after he had broke up with him. He held the phone tightly, almost as if he was afraid to let it go. A part of Ichigo wanted to call the teal-haired man so badly and explain what he was feeling, but the other half wanted to give Grimmjow some space and let him cool off. After all, most people wouldn't be the most understanding after having your boyfriend tell them that he is still in love with his ex.

He also thought hard about Chad. Chad. Yasutora Sado. After he broke up with Grimmjow, his thoughts about Chad grew intensily, his long dormant fellings for him starting to reawaken. Ichigo had considered getting back together with Chad, but it was easier thought than done. _Far_ easier.

As much as he wanted to believe that Chad loved him, he couldn't for one second overlook what Chad had did to him and the kids. Chad cheated on him, and it wasn't just a one night stand. It was a repetitive encounter, going on for two years. To add insult to injury, Chad even put Ichigo's health at serious risk, and he didn't even find out until it was almost too late. As his feelings for Chad were growing strong, so was he bitterness towards him. Chad was the reason Ichigo and the kids' lives for the past year had been such hell.

'Why? Damn it Chad...' Ichigo thought. He was completely torn between still loving Chad and not trusting him. After all, what is love without trust?

Ichigo was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard his cell phone ringing. He flipped it open and saw that it was Minoru's school calling.

"Oh boy" Ichigo said. "What now, Minoru?" He didn't have a good feeling about this phone call at all.

Ichigo had no idea just how right he was.

* * *

The strawberry blonde made his way slowly through the halls of Minoru's school. He still felt a bit uncomfortable being here; he remembered how he was scrutinized by Minoru's prejudice teachers not because of his parenting, but because of his sexuality. Even after Hachigen called him and apologized to Ichigo personally, Ichigo still felt some ill towards those teachers.

Ichigo entered the main office and saw the principal Hachigen's office at the end of the hall. He hadn't even made it halfway to the office when the door to Hachigen's office swung open and slammed into the wall beside it, making a small but noticeable dent in it. A seething Minoru stormed out of the office, his face red with anger and his fists tightly balled up.

"I AM NOT APOLOGIZING TO THAT STUPID SON OF A BITCH!!" Minoru screamed, his voice roaring throughout all corners of the main office although he had his head poking in Hachigen's door. "GO AHEAD AND EXPEL ME FOR ALL I GIVE A FUCK!! HE STARTED IT!!"

Ichigo looked at his son with both shock and surprise and rushed over to him to try and figure out what was wrong. Minoru caught wind of his orange-haired father and ran past him, pushing the secretary to the ground and running out of the office. Ichigo tried to call out his name, but it was already too late, as Minoru had ran out of the building entirely.

Ichigo brushed his hand through his hand and took a deep breath, feeling a massive headache coming on. He looked into Hachigen's office and was surprised to Chad sitting in a chair with his hand buried in his brown hair, obviously frustrated at the situation at hand, whatever it was. Hachigen sat with his right hand on his forehead, clearly frustrated as well.

"Um... Chad, what are you doing here?" Ichigo asked.

"The school called me down here." Chad replied.

"Uh, Kurosaki-kun, maybe you should sit down." Hachigen suggested. Ichigo nodded and slowly made his way to the knocked over chair that had obviously belonged to Minoru. He picked it back up and scooted it over a little bit farther from Chad and sat down.

"I'm glad to see you again, Kurosaki-kun" Hachigen begun, "Although I wish it were under better circumstances."

"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked. "What happened with Minoru this time?" Hachigen lowered his head and sighed, which didn't ease the tension Ichigo felt on his chest.

"Minoru... got into a fight. To say the least." Hachigen said. "According to him, there was this boy that wouldn't leave him alone in class. When the boy persisted on, Minoru 'lost his temper' or so he put it."

"How bad was the fight?" Ichigo asked.

Hachigen didn't respond. He looked away uncomfortably at the wall.

"_How _bad was the fight?" Ichigo repeated.

"... Kurosaki-kun, where you aware that Minoru had been carrying a pocket knife to school for the past couple if weeks?"

Ichigo's stomach sank into itself in both shock and surprise. But there was no way. Minoru would never do something like _that_, would he? "Do you mean he-"

"Your son stabbed that boy with a pocket knife."

Ichigo looked at the round man completely speechless. He couldn't even think of anything that could fathom what he had just found out. Were things _that _bad with Minoru that he had to resolve to even thinking about something like this? An umcomfortable silence filled the air of the room, until Chad finally broke the silence.

"...How bad is the other boy's injuries?" Chad asked.

"The wound wasn't that deep, but he lost alot of blood." Hachigen replied. "I'm not even going to sugarcoat it. This is a very serious situation. You'd be lucky if Minoru walks away with just an expulsion alone."

"Expelsion?!" Chad and Ichigo said in unison.

"Unfortunately, yes." Hachigen said. "This is beyond anything he has ever done at this school, and he has pulled some pretty wicked stunts in the past."

"Is there anyway at all that he can avoid being expelled?" Ichigo asked.

"It's not just that. That's actually the best case scenario. The boy's parents want to press charges."

Ichigo couldn't believe that this was actually happening. He knew that Minoru had been acting out, but he never thought that he would take it to _this _level. Not for one second. Did the separation and Grimmjow truly drive him to his breaking point?

"Sado-kun, Kurosaki-kun, we have been as patient with Minoru as long as we could've. He used to be such a good student, but now he doesn't respect me, his teachers, his peers, and he cares little, if at all, about this school. We have tried to overlook all counts of his misbehavior problems for his own sake, but we have zero tolerance for weapons. My hands are completely tied. I've even gone to all of his teachers and the response was unanimous."

"Please, Hachi-" Chad pleaded.

"I'm sorry, Sado-kun, but I have no choice. I have to expel him."

"...Actually, I have a confession to make." Chad said.

* * *

The doors to the apartment opened as Ken'Ichi stepped through. He dropped his book-bag over at the nearby couch and took notice of Minoru's green book-bag lying carelessly on the floor.

"Weird. He should still be at school." Ken'Ichi muttered.

He rubbed his neck and brushed at the red bruise he had received from Loly less than an hour ago. He and Loly had been back together for a few days, but he felt different about her than before. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but after he and Toshiro... Toshiro. He and the white-haired boy had finally got together despite the differences, but he couldn't help but feel... better around him than Loly. He felt bad about dating the two at the same time, but he felt as long as they kept the two apart and his public relationship with Toshiro platonic, he could have his cake and eat it too.

The 13-year old walked into his room and saw his 11-year old brother sitting on the edge of his bed. He looked clearly distraught; his head was slumped and face was hidden underneath his messed-up strands of brown hair. His knuckles were red and his hands were cletched together tightly as if he was angry about something. His breaths were tight and shaky, his body rocking slightly back and forth with each breath. Ken'Ichi was almost afraid to say anything to him, but he nonetheless closed the door silently and a step towards his brother.

"Minoru?"

The 11-year old didn't respond.

"Um, is everything alright?"

Minoru shook his very slowly in response. "I did something... very stupid earlier today."

"What?"

"It happened so fast." Minoru said in a barely audible whisper. "I remember some boy was starting trouble with me. He said that dad and daddy were gonna burn in hell. He said he hated people like them. He even tried to fight me, right there in the classroom. One thing led to another, and... w-whatever. I got pissed off, I'll put it like that."

"It's okay, man." Ken'Ichi walked over to the chair that sat in front of the computer. "You're not the first, little bro."

Minoru looked up to see his older brother on the computer in their room. "You're not the first" was really _all _he had to say? Had he been so caught up in his own world that he doesn't trying to notice what his family was going through? He had then remembered what he saw a couple of days back and snarled silently. If Ken'Ichi was going to be that self-involved, Minoru was going to act upon it as well. "So... things are over between you and Loly?"

"Huh? Uh, no. We're back together."

"Really? When did that happen?"

"A few days back."

"Wow. I bet Toshiro won't like that if he found out."

A cold realization hit Ken'Ichi and he spun around only to see his younger brother standing before him now. "How did you know about that?"

"Know about what? Is there something to know?" Minoru walked around in a small circle, keeping his eyes locked on Ken'Ichi. "Know that you've playing them both? Well maybe you shouldn't bring Toshiro around the house make out with him when Tetsuya's around.

Ken'Ichi huffed. "Tetsuya-"

"-Didn't mean to spill the beans."

Ken'Ichi let out an angered exhale and walked in a slow circle opposite of Minoru, their eyes locked while they tried to antagonize each other. _'He's trying to mess with me.' _

"You know what, Minoru? That's none of your business. Who I date should mean nothing to you."

"It means everything, Ken'Ichi!" Minoru shouted. "You put Dad through the ringer on telling the truth and that whole thing with Nova, you-"

"That was cheating!" Ken'Ichi pointed out. "He had an affair with him!"

"And this is so much better, why? Because Loly's a girl? You're secretly dating another guy behind your girlfriend's back! And I knew there was a chemistry between you two back when I first saw him! You're cheating, which makes you the biggest hypocrite that ever lived!"

"Who asked you to judge what or who is okay for me?! You still haven't learned to mind your own business, haven't you?!"

Don't change the subject!" Minoru had stopped walking but kept his gaze on Ken'Ichi, who had stopped walking as well. "You ruined our family because you put Dad through hell on-"

"What?! _I _ruined the family? God, why do you always defend Dad, even when he's dead wrong?"

"Maybe because Chad likes me and he doesn't like you."

Ken'Ichi angrily exhaled once again. "Oh yeah? Well, Ichigo likes me and he doesn't like you because you're nothing but I nosy brat who thinks his shit don't stink! You don't know what the hell is actually going on!"

Minoru angrily snarled. "_I _don't know what's going on? All you care about are your dumb friends and your slutty girlfriend! You don't know what the hell I've been through, and you're saying _I_don't know what's actually going on?" Minoru slowly walked up to his brother, faces inches away from each other. "Did it even occur to you why I'm home this early?"

"You know what? I don't know and I don't give a fu-" Ken'Ichi stopped abruptly with sharp gasp as Minoru balled up his fists and swung at his brother's face. Ken'Ichi dodged the swing and grabbed his brother's arm, pulling it behind his back pushing him against the wall. Minoru screamed and wailed his body, but Ken'Ichi maintained his position holding Minoru against the wall.

"I'm not gonna fight you!" Ken'Ichi said.

"Yeah, cuz you know you'll lose!" Minoru shouted. Ken'Ichi let out a sudden painful gasp when he felt a hard and sharp pain suddenly strike at his abdomen and send him to the floor. Holding his stomach, Ken'Ichi looked up to see only the door slam shut and another door slam a few seconds later.

"Stupid little punk." Ken'Ichi whispered. "Minoru, what's going on with you? It's like I don't even know you anymore..."

* * *

Ichigo swung open the door to the apartment and furiously tried to slam it shut, but he huffed when a strong dark hand stopped the door in his traps. The two men had stayed at Minoru's school for hours trying to convince Hachigen if there was any way possible for Minoru to avoid expulsion. Fortunately, Hachigen eventually decided not to expel Minoru and they finally settled on a long-term suspension.

"Ichigo, please just let me explain." Chad pleaded. He shut the door behind him and followed a seething Ichigo into the kitchen, but Ichigo pushed the man back and walked out to the living room. "Ichigo, I'm sorry. I never gave Minoru that pocket knife. How was I supposed to know that an 11-year old boy would take it-"

"How could you _not _know that showing an 11-year old a weapon was a stupid idea?!" Ichigo's voice rose dramatically in anger at Chad.

"Okay, I screwed up but I honestly never thought Minoru would steal it!" Chad protested. "I never even showed him where I kept it!"

"Oh no? But it was your's. You showed it to him, he took it, he stabbed that kid and you know what, he's been suspended for a month and a half."

"Aren't you at all curious as to why he lied? Felt like he couldn't trust you?" Chad asked.

"Trust me? I'm the only one he can trust!"

"Ichigo you fly off the handle!"

"And you don't think! You never have! Like up and, and quitting your job! Why?"

Chad looked at Ichigo with surprise about how he knew that. "How did you even find out about that? Did Minoru tell you?"

"Yeah, he's my son."

"_Our _son." Chad corrected. "Oh and thanks for mixing up the fight Ichigo! And as for Minoru, Hachigen and I saw what you couldn't! His heart was breaking."

"Well you know what? I am more concerned about his mind right now because it is a hell of a lot more fragile and unpredicable. And look, if you ever hope to consider yourself a part of this family again-"

"Don't pull the family card because if it wasn't for me still giving you money to pay for this place, you and the kids wouldn't even have a roof over your head, remember?!" Chad fished through his pants pocket and pulled out a few hundred dollar bills and threw them on the floor. Ichigo shook his head. He couldn't believe that just that afternoon, he was considering taking back Chad.

"You're not the man I fell in love with." Ichigo said, his voice breaking. It shocked them both to see Ichigo breaking down. There weren't many times when Ichigo opened up like this, being quite vulnerable to his emotions. Chad took a deep breath to try and calm himself down. His head cleared a little and he walked slowly over to Ichigo to try and comfort him, but the strawberry blonde had his hands out to try and keep Chad away from him.

"I;m sorry, Ichigo-"

"Get out." Ichigo demanded. "Somehow, it's always my fault. Nobody wants to take responsibility for themselves. They just look for someone else to blame. They look for me."

"Ichigo, please don't-"

Chad paused when Ichigo brushed past him and made his way to the front door.

"Ichigo, wait-"

A loud slam of door was the only response he got.

* * *

_Knock Knock Knock!_

"Yeah, yeah I'm coming." Grimmjow mumbled tiredly as he got off the couch and slowly walked towards the door with his hands in his pockets. When he opened the door, he was surprised to see Ichigo standing on the other side. He had his arms folded and his eyes were red and puffy, indicating that he may have crying along the way.

"You were right. You're the only person I want to talk to." Ichigo's voice was soft and shaky, almost anxious about Grimmjow's response.

Grimmjow simply smirked and retreated back into his apartment. A minute later, he came back to the door with a small bag of a certain white-powdered drug.

"Let's have a party." Grimmjow smirked, dangling the bag in front of the orange-haired man. "Come on in."

Ichigo had promised himself and the kids that he would never touch the stuff ever again, but he couldn't help to feel stressed out with his life and family, especially Chad and Minoru. He felt like he needed this escape now more than ever.

The orange-haired man willingly nodded and stepped into Grimmjow's apartment, letting the evil grinning teal-haired man close the door behind them.

* * *

**Sorry this chapter took so long. Like I said before, this story is far from over so please R&R and the next chapter (17) will be up soon!**


	17. Only A Fools Here

**Chapter 17**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach**

**Warning: Suggestive themes**

**Please enjoy!**

* * *

Ken'Ichi moaned into the demanding mouth of the raven-haired pigtailed girl underneath him. The two laid on Ken'Ichi's bed, their mouths tangled and their bodies intertwined. Ken'Ichi's firm hands were caressing the soft skin underneath him, his hands running back and forth from the small of Loly's back to her thighs. He briefly wondered if he was taking his yearning for her a bit too far, but he was quickly reassured when he heard the raven-haired girl moan softly into his wet mouth.

It was somewhat odd to see Loly being so submissive. In the short time that they had been dating, Loly was known around school for being an aggressive and mean-spirited girl that everyone dared not to mess with. However, whenever she would be around Ken'Ichi, she would melt into a compassionate and caring girl that wanted nothing more than to be with her boyfriend. His friends had always wondered why Ken'Ichi was dating her, but it was moments like this that would make them understand.

If they ever happen to walk in on them, that is.

"Ken'Ichi" the pigtailed girl whispered, briefly breaking the bond between them. "This is-" She was interrupted when Ken'Ichi nearly jumped back on his girlfriend's lips. The raven-haired girl gasped in surprise when she felt Ken'Ichi's hands brush up past her mini-skirt and caress on her thighs. Things didn't stop there as Ken'Ichi pulled his hands out from underneath his girlfriend's skirt and began to unbuckle his belt.

"Ken, wait-" Loly gasped again when she felt her boyfriend's lips moved to her neck and suck lightly at the sensitive skin, causing the young girl to close her eyes and bit her lip.

"Ken-" Loly uttered again but Ken'Ichi went on with his actions, almost ignoring her. Loly kept tugging her boylfriend away, quickly trying to call him back to senses, but he somehow still managed to pull back and kiss her more fiercely and passionately.

"Ken'Ichi.." Loly said, finally managing to gently pry Ken'Ichi off of her long enough for him to finally come back to his senses. The brown-haired boy panted and wiped the traces of saliva from his mouth. The two of them sat up and leaned on the wall that was next to the bunkbeds.

"Baby" Loly said, somewhat impressed yet very slightly concerned of the passionate and fierce session she just had with her boyfriend, "these days it's like you're gonna jump out of your own skin." Loly put her hand on Ken'Ichi's own palms and kissed them both softly. "Do you want to talk and tell me what's going on?"

"I don't want to talk." Ken'Ichi leaned in to kiss Loly again, but Loly pulled away.

"Babe, lately it's like all we are is just high-altitude make-out sessions. You've been acting like this big horndog you barely want to talk to me anymore. Is there something you're not telling me?" Loly scooted over and reached out for Ken'Ichi's hand, but he moved away and got off the bed, adjusting his grey t-shirt.

"Babe?" Loly asked again, slightly concerned.

Ken'Ichi sighed. "Loly, the truth is..." the young boy turned around to face his girlfriend, but he was somewhat taken back by the look on her face. Loly looked so soft and fragile, a sharp contrast to her regular tough exterior. Ken'Ichi had never seen Loly in such a light before.

However, Ken'Ichi's emotional attachments towards her were slowly dissolving. It was as if he no longer wanted or cared for her insights or intellect, but now all he wanted was to have her sexually. He couldn't tell her that all he cared for was her bust and boobs. He turned fully back around and sat back down on the edge of the bed next to Loly.

"...I wanted to keep it a secret, and tell you when I felt it was right." Ken'Ichi began, clasping his hands together and lowering his gaze to the floor.

"What is it?"

"Loly, I'm a idiot."

"Baby?"

Ken'Ichi looked over into his girlfriend's purple eyes and sighed. "It's your gift."

Ken'Ichi calmed down a bit when he saw his girlfriend's eyes light up at the mention of that word. "Really? For me?"

"Yeah. Okay, it didn't come. I was gonna surprise you for our four-month anniversary, but I've been texting back and forth with the guy for weeks. He just bailed, the jackass."

Loly grinned widely at her boyfriend and kissed him softly on the cheek. "Babe, is that what you've been so worked up over lately?"

"I just wanted to make our relationship special and meaningful for you."

Loly moved closer to Ken'Ichi and kissed him on the cheek once again."Kenny, I'm with you. That's special and meaningful enough." Loly grabbed her boyfriend's hand and held it with both hands.

"Ken'Ichi Kurosaki-Sado, I'll never break your heart."

The two smiled at each other and leaned for a soft kiss on the lips. That one kiss slowly melted into another kiss and another and another until Loly laid back down on Ken'Ichi's bed with Ken'Ichi climbing on top of her. The kiss deepened after a brief moment as Loly wrapped her arms around Ken'Ichi's waist, pulling at his jeans.

"Ken'Ichi!"

The couple almost jumped at the yell from behind them. They turned their heads to the edge of the bed to see a certain 3-year old yawning and wiping his sleepy eyes.

"Tetsuya?" Ken'Ichi and Loly said in unison. Ken'Ichi quickly scrambled to get off of Loly as Loly re-buttoned her blouse, which Ken'Ichi had unbuttoned moments before.

"Tetsuya, I thought you were taking a nap?" Ken'Ichi asked.

"I have to go potty." The blonde-haired toddler replied. "Dad hasn't taught me how to go by myself yet."

Ken'Ichi groaned and lazily got up from his bed and held his baby brother's hand. It was times like these that he wished Tetsuya was able to go to the bathroom by himself. The boy was able to recite lyrics from songs he heard on the radio word for word, but wasn't able to pee by himself?

'_Speaking of fathers, where is daddy?' _Ken'Ichi thought to himself. Over the course of three days, he had only seen Ichigo twice: last night at 2:30 in the morning he went to the kitchen to grab a quick snack when he saw his orange haired father nearly bouncing off the walls, his eyes bloodshot and his nose red. The other time was the night before, when he could hear his father whispering to himself and snickering hysterically from his room. When he walked in to see what was going on, Ichigo was pacing in a small circle, his back hunched and his hands clasped together.

Ken'Ichi looked back to Loly, who was sitting on the edge of the bed. "Loly, I'll be right back."

Loly watched her boyfriend and his baby brother walk hand in hand out of the room and close the door behind them. The pigtailed girl looked around the room, not paying much attention to anything in particular. At least, not until her eyes caught glimpse of her boyfriend's cell phone sitting on top of the computer.

_"It's your gift. Yeah. Okay, it didn't come. I was gonna surprise you for our four-month anniversary, but I've been texting back and forth with the guy for weeks." _Loly squealed quietly when she thought of what Ken'Ichi had told her. She pondered on what the gift could possibly be. A ring? A diamond necklace? A pendent? Her mind was reeling over what it could be.

She took another glance at the door and quickly got up from the bed and walked over to the computer, grabbing the cell phone from off the top of the monitor.

"Tetsuya! Pee _inside_the tiolet bowl!" Loly could hear Ken'Ichi from the bathroom. Taking another glance at the door, she smiled mischievously and flipped open her boyfriend's cell phone as she sat back on the bed.

However, as she scrolled through his messages, her expression gradually went from excited to confused and increasingly upset.

*Can I come over?* Loly looked on the bottom of the message and saw that the message had been sent just about an hour ago, around the time she herself came over.

*I can't. My father's taking me to a game in a few minutes.*

*Sure I can't tag along?*

*My father wants it to be just the two of us. I'll be gone all day.*

*Ok. Call me when you get back.*

*Oh, you know I will lol : )*

Loly stared dumbfounded at the initials of the sole replier: *T. H.*

"You've got to be kidding." Lolysaid to herself. She then heard the sound of the toilet flushing and footsteps heading towards the door. She carefully but quickly put the phone back on top of the computer monitor and sat back down on the bed just in time when Ken'Ichi opened the door and closed it firm. He had a mischievious grin as he rushed back on the bed and pulled Loly close around the hips.

"Okay, I'm ready to fool around." Ken'Ichi whispered heatedly as he began to lay kisses on the base of Loly's neck, but she firmly pushed him off, to his confusion.

"What? What's wrong?" Ken'Ichi asked, confused. "Tetusya didn't pee on my hands this time, I swear."

Loly holdedher arms and gave her boyfriend an almost incredousless look on her face. A part of her wanted to simply ask him what it was that she saw on his phone, but another side watched to beat the hell out of him and the other person.

"Ken'Ichi, did you..." Loly's voice trailed off as she stared into Ken'Ichi's eyes. She wanted to know. She _had_to know. But then again, Loly didn't want to accuse Ken'Ichi of something she didn't see for herself. Maybe she misinterrupted those messages. Maybe he was just blowing off Dan or whoever to spend time with her. At least that's what she wanted to believe. But at the same time, Loly just couldn't ignore the feeling that Ken'Ichi had been hiding something. The way he had been for the past week, barely talking to her and kissing her fiercely as if he needed to.

"I have to go." Loly got up from the bed at quickly headed out the door. Ken'Ichi got up and followed her.

"Um, is everything okay? I'll call you?"

"Don't bother. I'm busy." Loly coldly replied, walking out the front door without sparing so much as a passing glance.

Ken'Ichi stared at the door for a brief moment and he shrugged his shoulders. "Geez, what's up with her?"

* * *

"You want something to eat?" Ken'Ichi asked his baby brother as he held him up while he washed his hands over the bathroom sink counter. Tetsuya turned the faucet off and Ken'Ichi put him back down on the floor.

"Where's dad?" Tetsuya asked.

"Uh, I don't know. Daddy hasn't called all day."

Ken'Ichi stumbled when he felt his baby brother cling to his legs and wiggle at them. "I'm worried about dad."

Ken'Ichi smiled sympathetically and lifted his baby brother to hold him on top of his arm. "Don't be. I'm sure he's just been really busy with work at the hospital. Come on let's go call him."

Ken'Ichi walked out of the with his brother in hand and walked to the telephone on the coffee table. The truth was, he too, was worried about Ichigo. Things had been very tense between him, Minoru, Ichigo, and Chad for a long while and it seemed like only a few days ago that the problems escalated. Tetsuya, on the other hand, was too young to understand (or to even realize) what was going on around him. Whatever problems the family had, Ken'Ichi felt that he had to suck it up and be strong for Tetsuya. Just when Ken'Ichi and Tetsuya had reached the coffee table, the phone started to ring. It was the hospital Ichigo worked at.

"Hello?" Ken'Ichi asked.

"Is this Kurosaki's residence?" the voice on the other end sounded like a middle-aged woman with a raspy yet soft voice.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Is Kurosaki-san there?"

"Um, no. I-I thought that he was there at the hospital."

"No. Kurosaki-san hasn't shown up for work in four days now. Is he alright?" the woman replied. Ken'Ichi gave Tetsuya a brief confused look before a certain realization came across him.

"Oh, well thank you for calling to let us know." Ken'Ichi replied, ignoring the lady's question when he himself didn't know the answer.

The lady didn't respond and quickly hung up afterwards. Ken'Ichi put the phone back in the hook and shook his head.

"Is something wrong with dad?" Tetsuya asked.

Ken'Ichi quickly remembered his baby brother in his arms and put on a nervous smile.

"N-No, Daddy's just-- Let me just call his cell phone." Ken'Ichi put Tetsuya down and picked up the phone again. He dialed Ichigo's cell phone and after three tries, someone from the other end picked up. He could hear the sound of stoned snickering and whispering from the other end.

"Daddy? Is that you?" Ken'Ichi asked.

The response Ken'Ichi got was a mix between a cough and a high-pitched laugh. "Hellooo?"

"Daddy. Where the hell have you been? Me and Tetsuya been worried sick. When are you coming home?"

Ken'Ichi could hear the sound of more snickering and whispering from the other end. "I will be soon, Ken-y. I just had to um…just read the TV, okay? I'll get there as soon as I can."

"No, daddy--!" Ichigo had hung before Ken'Ichi could finish. The 13-year old sighed and hung up the phone.

* * *

Ichigo still held the phone in his hand while he and Grimmjow sat on the small table stool in Grimmjow's apartment. The two had been doing coke for a few days now, and everytime they did it, it became easier and easier to blow off any and every other obligations. Ichigo and Grimmjow's appeareances also took a turn for the worse, their eyes becoming baggy and bloodshot and their hair becoming messy and dirty.

"Hehehe, Ken-ich-y" Grimmjow laughed, high from the drugs. "What kind of name is that?"

Ichigo playfully nudged the teal-haired man. "I have to go home. Those kids are making me sober or whatever."

"Ichi, come on. Let's blow a few more hours, please? I don't wanna be al-ooo-nne." Grimmjow sang in a mocking singing voice.

"Stop it." Ichigo pointed his finger in a mocking and high gesture to the other man. "I have to get along, little doggie." Ichigo tried to stand up, but he felt too weird to even do that. His pulse was racing, his heart was nearly pounding, and his movements were noticeably sluggish and weak.

"I can't drive." Ichigo realized, laughing. "I'm too high. How am I gonna tell the kids?"

"Tell 'em that you're a mess. That you're being a good friend. They'll get it."

Ichigo stared at his lover in a stoned gaze before he bursted out laughing in a high-pitched shrill. Grimmjow stared at him briefly before breaking out laughing as well. Ichigo abruptly stopped when he felt his throat go dry and the pit of his stomach sink. His knees were shaking to the point where we could barely even standing, and clutched his chest when he felt his pulse beginning to race.

"Grimm, what's going on?" Ichigo asked. "This--this feeling wasn't supposed to happen."

"Maybe you're crashing."

"Are you sure? I didn't feel like this even when I crashed. 'Sides, we just did it again."

The teal-haired man got up and walked up to Ichigo, holding him close and lightly brushing through Ichigo's hair with his hand. "Don't worry your pretty orange-head, okay?"

Ichigo snickered. "Orange. I _do _have an orange head. Like a carrot top." Ichigo grabbed his hair and roughly tried to pull at it. laughing at the same time. He then reached for Grimmjow's hair and gave a quick tug at it, earning a low groan of pain from Grimmjow before he playfully batted his lover's hands away. "Your hair's the color of puke. Puke-face, baby!" Ichigo then resumed his high-pitched laughing, much to Grimmjow's amusement.

_'Haha, what a dumb-ass.' _Grimmjow coyly smiled.

* * *

"Tets, um..." Ken'Ichi tried to think of something to say to make Tetsuya not worry about Ichigo. "Dad's, uh... working late and--"

"No, he's not. Last night, I saw Dad. His nose was red and bleeding."

"...You saw him?"

"Yeah. He kept muttering Grimmybob's name. He looked kinda sick and his hands were shaking."

Ken'Ichi had a bad feeling that Grimmjow was involved in Ichigo's weird behavior somehow, and his baby brothers observations confirmed his suspicions. Ken'Ichi put Tetsuya down on the floor and patted him on the head.

"Listen. Why don't you grab your jacket and we'll go out and look for daddy?"

Tetsuya grinned, showing off his dimples and nodded his head. Ken'Ichi smiled back and patted him on the head. No matter what anybody in the family was going through, Tetsuya's innocent disposition would remind them to hold on and see through their troubles.

_'Tets, I don't know what I'd do without you here.'_

* * *

"Tets, look around for our father. He's not feeling well." Ken'Ichi said to the blonde-haired toddler as they walked hand in hand on the streets of Karakura town.

"There really is something wrong with dad?" Tetsuya asked, concerned.

"I don't know Tets" Ken'Ichi replied, looking down to his baby brother, "and we won't know until we find him." The 13-year old quickened his pace and his grip on his brother's hands became tighter. The two walked around for almost an hour, looking through seven differents streets. They had checked through several different restuarants, cafes, and shops to see if Ichigo was or had been there. The answer had been the same everytime. Eventually, the two stopped just outside a chinese restuarant.

"Ken, we looked everywhere. Where's dad?"

"I don't know, Tets. We might have to--" Ken'Ichi's voice trailed off when he caught glimpse of a certain teal-haired man smoking a cigarette just down the street. Ken'Ichi quickly grabbed his baby brother's hand, ran down the street and bumped past Grimmjow, making him drop his cigarette.

"Hey what the hell?!" Grimmjow shouted. He turned his back only to catch a glimpse at the two kids that belonged to his lover. He smirked as he pulled out a packet of cigarettes. "Well if it isn't carrot top's brats. Looking for ya orange-haired mommy?"

"Where the hell is Ichigo?!" Ken'Ichi demanded.

"How the hell should I know? I ditched him almost an hour ago." Grimmjow inhaled his cigarette and exhaled seconds later, a black puff of smoke escaping his mouth.

"I know you gave my father those drugs!" Ken'Ichi snarled. Grimmjow glanced at the boy and simply smirked.

"What of it? All I did was ease the pain and stress. All he needed was--"

"--A shoulder to get high on?"

"Listen, kid. You and your brothers have been giving him hell. I was there for him. He came to me and damn near begged me for the coke." As he was speaking, Grimmjow slowlywalked up to Ken'Ichi, his faces inches from his. "And guess what? He gonna keep coming back to me. Every... single... time."

Ken'Ichi stared at the teal-haired man in disgust. He disliked Grimmjow before, but he hated the man now. He was the reason Ichigo was acting out like this and the driving force behind the family falling apart. Ken'Ichi gritted his teeth in anger and lunged at the teal-haired man, but Grimmjow ducked away just in time and grabbed Ken'Ichi by his arm, shoving him to the ground. Ken'Ichi wiggled and squirmed to try and escape, but to no avail. Grimmjow was too strong. The teal-haired man looked at amusement at the struggling boy, remembering what he did to Minoru weeks back. He inhaled his cigarette once again and exhaled a big puff of smoke directly in the boy's face, making him cough his brains out.

"Get off!" Ken'Ichi said, the black smoke nearly choking him.

"This reminds me of what I did to your brother weeks back. You got balls, though. He tried to run away. Speaking of wimps, where is Minoru anyway?"

"What the hell did you do to my brother?!" Ken'Ichi shouted, voilently struggling to free himself, to the effort was futile. "You bastard!"

Ken'Ichi continued to struggle, but slowed his movements when he saw Tetsuya ran up and began to beat on his leg with his small hands balled up into fists. He could tell that he wasn't really making an effect, but he nevertheless continued.

"Shup up! Don't you dare hurt my brother! Get off him!" Tetsuya demanded, continuing to beat on the man's leg.

"Hey! What the hell's going on?!" Grimmjow looked up to see the a man wearing an apron walking out of the chinese restuarant holding a large broom,as well as a couple of pedestrians standing nearby. "You got three seconds to get off that kid!"

Grimmjow laughed and did as he was told. Tetsuya rushed to his brother's side and helped brush off some of the dirt that got on him. Ken'Ichi held his arm as he felt the pain surging through where Grimmjow held him.

"Is there a problem?" the man demanded.

"There's no problem. I was just leaving." Grimmjow got up from off the ground and spit his cigarette out. His glanced once more at the two boys still on the ground and chuckled. Tetsuya stared at the man in anger.

"I hate you!" Tetsuya shouted.

"I hate you too, you little bitch."

* * *

Ken'Ichi and Minoru walked in silence as they made their way up the stairs to their apartment. They had given up looking and decided to returm home and see if Ichigo was there. As the two got further up the stairs, the sound of blaring loud rock music got louder. When they made it to their floor, the sound was near ear-shattering and the two covered their ears.

"It's coming from our apartment!" Ken'Ichi shouted over the music.

"What?!"

"I said, It's coming from our apartment!"

"What?!!"

"Nevermind!!"

"What?!!"

Ken'Ichi digressed and saw that the door was unlocked. He opened the door only for the blaring loud music to nearly blow them out of the door. The two looked into their home and saw Ichigo wildly jumping up and down and shaking his head, dancing exuberently to the music.

Ken'Ichi ran to the sound speakers in the corner of the living room and pulled the plug. Ichigo still bounced around for a few seconds before realizing that the music had stopped. He turned around and saw that Tetsuya closing the door and Ken'Ichi getting up from off the ground. The two were shocked; Ichigo's eyes were bloodshot, he was sweating to the point where his hair was damp, and his nose was bright red. They could also see on the coffee table used-up pieces of blood stained tissue paper.

"Hey what the-- ohhhh, hey kids." Ichigo said.

"Dad?" Tetsuya said softly. Ichigo rubbed his eyes and looked at the blonde-haired toddler. He smiled at walked up closer to him, but Tetsuya quickly clung to his brother's leg in fear.

"Daddy, we have to tell you something-- about Grimmjow." Ken'Ichi said. "He's not who you think he is."

Ichigo ran to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of juice that was lying on the counter. "Oh, come on. You guys been riding my ass about Grimmjow since you first met him." The strawberry-blonde then paused and jugged down the carton of juice, throwing the empty container on the floor when he was done. He literality looked around, aparantly trying to find something.

Ichigo began to talk very fast as he continued to walk in circles. "Are we out of paper towels? We need paper towels? Why didn't someone ssssaaayyy something?!"

"Dad, what's wrong with you?" Tetsuya said softly. Ken'Ichi looked down at his brother sympathetically.

"Daddy, I know Grimmjow gave you drugs, but Tetsuya shouldn't see you like this!"

Ichigo walked out of the kitchen area and walked up and down the hallways. "Oh, come on. Every guy I like you hate. You're acting crazy."

Ken'Ichi scoffed. "_I'm_ crazy? Daddy, look at what this man is doing to you. You have to get rid of Grimmjow. It's not up for debate."

Ichigo gave Ken'Ichi an angry look and walked back to the living room to face his son. "How are you to get to decide what happens?! What about me?!"

"Daddy, calm down.."

"Oh blah, blah, blah! God, you're so selfish! It's always about you, you, you!" Ichigo walked do the couch and slumped down on it. Ken'Ichi and Tetsuya quickly followed to try and ease their father, but both were shocked when the straberry-blonde pulled out a small bad of white powder substance from his pocket.

"Oh my god! Daddy, you promised us that you would never do it again!"

Ichigo simply groaned in response to his son. "Oh waah! Do you ever stop nagging? My own children don't respect our appreciate me. W-W-What, with Minoru kicked out of school and him giving me attitude and you not always being so damn self-involved and Tetsuya not being old enough to get it, what the hell am I supposed to do, huh?!"

"Your drug use is not our fault!" Ken'Ichi defended.

"Oh yeah? And what about being supportive?"

"Of what?! A coke head?!" Ken'Ichi remarked. Ichigo absent-mindedly bobbled his head sideways, as if he was ignoring Ken'Ichi. The 13-year stared at the strawberry blonde with disapointment. It was as if Ichigo wasn't even his father anymore. The way he was acting was something the Ichigo he used to know would've _never _have done. Grimmjow was a heavy influence, but Ken'Ichi was starting to realize that it wasn't just Grimmjow or Minoru or even Chad that was causing Ichigo pain.

"You know what? Grimmjow may be an ass, be he isn't the only problem!" Ken'Ichi walked up and snatched the bag of coke from Ichigo, much to the orange-haired man's dismay. "Get some help, Ichigo!" Ken'Ichi grabbed Tetsuya by the hand and retreated to the front door, looking back at Ichigo once more time before slamming it furiously. Ichigo simply stared at the door before he wobbled to his feet.

"Where the hell are those paper napkins?!" the strawberry-blonde roared.

* * *

"Ken'Ichi, I miss papa." Tetsuya said, his voice breaking and tears starting to form in his eyes. Ken'Ichi kneeled down in front of his baby brother and embraced him tightly. As much as he didn't want to admit it, so did he.

"...I miss him, too, but don't worry at all. I'm not letting anything happen to you. I have an idea to get daddy back on our side." The 13-year old stood back up and took out his phone from his pocket.

"Who are you calling?"

Ken'Ichi looked back down at his brother and smiled. "...Your godmother, Rukia."

* * *

**Finally updated! Whoo! My longest chapter ever! I was originally going to have Ken'Ichi call Isshin at the end of this, but at the last minute, I changed it to Rukia because I know everyone loves her, like me : ) I might still put Isshin in, but I'm not sure. There are about 9-10 more chapter of this story. Please please R&R and stay tuned for the next chapter!**

**P.S sorry if Ichigo and Grimmjow being high scenes were lame, but I thought it was funny. At least to me : )**


	18. Your Soul Is Anchored

**Chapter 18**

**Disclaimer: I do not own bleach in any way**

**Please enjoy!**

* * *

Loly paced back and forth the walls of her room panicked and with a worried look on her face. Her sister, Menoly, simply rolled her eyes as she watched her distraught sister from the edge of her bed. It wasn't like her at all to be this upset over something, especially not some guy. In the past guys would come in and out of Loly's bedroom and her life, and she wouldn't even blink twice. Now here the raven-haired girl was, losing her cool because she thought she was losing him. Had Ken'Ichi had this much of an effect on her? Did she like him this much?

"I don't get it." Loly said, worried as she continued to pace back and forth. "I like him. I'm pretty. I'm popular. I'm always there for him. Why isn't all that enough?"

Menoly huffed. "Loly, you're gonna make a hole in the floor if you keep pacing like that."

"Shut up!" Loly snapped at her sister. "This is serious! Why does he feel the need to connect with someone else? I've got it all. What's he gonna find in another girl that he won't find in me?"

"Loly, I-"

"I mean, sure I'm not a virgin and that I've been with like, over ten different guys, but come on! I've only done it bareback like four times! And even then, I was on the pill."

"Loly, calm down-"

"I will not calm down!" Loly stopped in her tracks to glare at her sister. "I-I feel like I'm losing him! All we've been lately is just kissing and groping. It's almost as if we're not even on the same wavelength anymore." Loly spread herself out on her bed and threw a pillow over her face, frustrated and defeated in her situation with her boyfriend. Menoly simply stared nonchalantly. She didn't know what to say or do that could reassure her sister that things would be fine. Not that she even wanted to. sighed sympathetically at her sister

"Loly, you have to understand. Ken'Ichi's a guy. And guys like that are often unstable. Prone to weakness, perheps?"

Loly took the pillow off of her face to reveal a serious yet somewhat confused expression. "What are you saying? Ken'Ichi wouldn't do that."

"And I didn't say he does. After all, why would he keep secrets from you?"

"H-He wouldn't. Didn't. _Doesn't_." Loly repeated it a few more times to reassure her sister. "He doesn't lie to me. He just doesn't."

"Why do have to repeat it? You can't convince someone else something you yourself don't believe it."

Loly scowled at her sister. "You don't know anything. Ken'Ichi is a sweetheart who-"

"Loly, cut the crap!" Menoly snapped, standing up to face her sister, much to her surprise. "Pull yourself together! For god sake, look at what that guy is doing to you! The Loly I know wouldn't be crying in her room about a guy cheating on her. She'd be out there kicking his ass if he even _looked _guilty!"

"What are you talking about?"

Menoly huffed in frustration. "I miss the old you with your old boyfriends. Trailing behind, obedient and slightly afraid!"

Loly stared at her sister with a surprised look on her face. Menoly had a point. She remembered the time a few years back, she saw a guy that she was dating looking at another girl with passion in his eyes. She watched him walk over to her and flirt with her. The next thing she knew, she had splashed hot coffee on the both of them. Loly had always had control of her life and the people in it. She had an authority that no one could stand up to. Now, it wasn't the case any longer. She hadn't even noticed that Ken'Ichi had made her grow soft and meek. It made her ashamed to realize that she had allowed herself to become this.

"You're better than that. You're also better than him." Menoly sat back down on her sister's bed and patted her on her shoulder. "Good boyfriends don't do stuff like text other girls and lie to you about it."

"You're right, Menoly." The raven-haired girl sighed. "But there's still one problem."

"What is it?"

"I like him." Loly grabbed her pillow and threw it back on her face. "Ugh, what am I gonna do?"

* * *

"Nori, fold all the clothes first and then put them in the suitcase." Chad said to the 11-year old. Minoru had been helping his father pack for his trip to California for the past two hours. He had also been staying with Chad for the past couple of days after he had gotten kicked out of school. For the past few weeks, Minoru whole life had been turned upside down. His fathers had split up, Grimmjow turned out to be a douche-bag after all, Ichigo and his brothers weren't taking notice of his troubles, and to top it off, he had just been expelled from school.

"Thanks for letting me stay here for the past couple of days, dad." Minoru said as his continued folding his father's shirts.

"Not a problem." Chad replied. "It's good that we've been spending the past few days together. After I leave for California, who knows when we'll have time together like this again?"

The 11-year old lowered his head slightly and slowed his pace of folding his father's clothes. A few minutes went by as the two folded clothes and packed bags in silence. Then, Minoru suddenly broke the silence as he stood up from off the floor and caught his father's attention, out from the corner of his eye.

"Dad, I've been seriously thinking alot about this for a while." The brunette began. "I know you'll be really busy with your band, but the more things that happen here, the more I feel like I want to do this. Can I come to California with you?"

The larger looked at his son in surprise and sighed. "Minoru, I'm sorry but I can't take you with me. I won't have time to baby-sit you."

"I-I know! But I'll be able to look after myself. I can learn how to cook, clean, and I won't be a bother to you at all! Please dad, just give me a chance!"

"Nori, as much as I would love to have you living with me in California, I just can't do that. You have a life here-"

"My life sucks." Minoru argued. "I'm kicked out of school, daddy and Ken'Ichi hardly pay any attention to me, Tetsuya's too young to understand and Ichigo's boyfr-" Minoru welled up briefly, but quickly resumed. "Bottom line, there are some things I can't talk to daddy about and there are some things I can't talk to my brothers about." Minoru began to slowly walked over slowly to Chad. "But dad, you get me and you care. I don't want to lose that. It hit me hard when you left the loft, but I can't imagine what'll be like when you go to California."

Everything Minoru had been fighting for was slipping fast from his grip. All he wanted from his fathers to work out their differences, but now it seemed as though they were now worlds apart. He felt like he had nothing left here in KaraKura town. He was tired of the fighting. He was tired of Ichigo. He was tired of Ken'Ichi. Most of all, he was sick to death of Grimmjow. He didn't want to run away from his problems, but he felt like it would easier to do so.

Chad looked at his son with sympathy. It would've been nice for the kids to come spend some time with him in California, but he knew that it just wouldn't be possible anytime soon.

"I'm really sorry Minoru, but I just can't. Things aren't as bad around here as you think it is."

Minoru scoffed in response as his demeanor changed for the worst. He was tired of not having any control over anything in his life. "You know what dad? How the heck would you know? You live on like the other side of Karakura town. You don't know half the things I've been dealing with. But yet, you're the only one that understands. What am I supposed to do without you?"

"Look, Minoru, this is gonna be really tough on all of us. I know you're upset--"

"Dad, if you wanna abandon us, you shouldn't need California for that."

What? No, Minoru I'm not abandoning you guys--"

"Really? 'Cause you did it once before." Minoru crossed his arms as he continued. "Did you even consider us at all before you decided to run away to California? You sure seemed ready to just take off." He remembered how he found the documentation hidden in his father's bedroom.

Chad grabbed a nearby chair and sat down in front of his son, preparing himself to explain it to him. "Look Nori, the reason I'm doing this is for us. You, me, Ken'Ichi, Tetsuya, and Ichigo."

"Don't give that crap. You're doing this for you. You're giving up on winning back Ichigo and now you wanna leave for the next how many years and get famous and forget us."

Chad sighed lightly. "Look, when your father and I first got together, my band got this huge opportunity to play in America and record a CD. Ichigo and I had just adopted our first child. I didn't want to leave, but I couldn't just overlook an opportuniy like that." Chad then gently placed his large hands on Minoru's shoulders, who hadn't changed his upset and almost sad expression on his face. "But I turned it down. I stayed here for the man I loved and the children I adore. I willingly put my life on hold for you guys. Understand that things are alot different now, and now it's time I took that life back."

"You'd rather reclaim your band than reclaim your family? Real smooth, dad."

Chad lowered in head in slight frustration. He was trying to find what else to say to make his son understand. "Minoru, you have to accept the fact that maybe I'm not what's best for you're father. I love him. I always will, but the way things are with him now, he just needs time to himself. I need time to myself." I stayed because I loved--love my family. I knew what I was doing, but even then, I thought I'd missed my only chance." Minoru had tried to walk away, but Chad's strong arms firmly locked on his shoulders refrained him from barely moving. "But this is it. This is my second chance. I thought for sure that if anyone was going to support me in this, it'd be you."

"So good. Go start it." Minoru replied. His tone had become nonchalent, as if he didn't even care anymore.

Chad sighed. "Look, I really just don't wanna fight about this."

"What do you wanna do?"

Chad parted his lips to respond, but words just couldn't form past his lips. At least, not the right ones. The silence spoken for itself as Minoru pushed his father's hands away.

"Minoru--"The boy didn't respond. He slowly walked back to the small pile of clothes that stood near Chad's large grey siutcase. He resumed folding his father's clothes and putting them away in the suitcase.

"Minoru..."

The boy ignored his father and continued his task. In fact, his speed increased, his hands folding the clothes faster and almost throwing them into the box. Chad simply sighed, apparently giving up on trying to explain. Maybe he hadn't explained himself in the best way, but it wouldn't have worked to make him understand if he didn't try to be.

"Fine" the larger man said in a defeated tone as he walked out of room, leaving the lonely and miserable 11-year old to fold the clothes by himself.

* * *

Ken'Ichi and Tetsuya stared at their father from the corner of their living room, who laid on his side half-asleep on the couch. The orange-haired man had crashed once again from the drugs he had taken.

He was still crashed from the drugs that he used-- _days_ ago.

Ichigo hadn't had snorted cocaine since his sons confronted him, but he still felt as sluggish, his forehead still throbbed as painfully, his half open eyes were as red and bloodshot, and he felt overall as bad as he did when he crashed the first time.

"You sure bout this, Ken?" Tetsuya asked, tugging at his brother's khaki shorts to get his attention. Ken'Ichi looked down at his brother and his seemingly confident smile reassured the toddler of the success that would result from the plan.

_'Honestly, I don't really know either.' _Ken'Ichi confessed to himself. He too, had doubts about the this as much as his baby brother did. But he knew that it wasn't a matter of whether or not he felt comfortable, he was going to go through with it either way. For his family's sake.

Just then, the 13-year old felt a sudden vibration coming from his pocket. He pulled out his cell phone to see that it was his godmother Rukia, who had sent him a text.

*I'm 5 minutes from the place*

Ken'Ichi smiled at this text, his flickering hope for this plan to work seemingly restored with the reassurance that Rukia was in fact on her way. Ken'Ichi looked down at his baby brother and nodded to him. Tetsuya quickly indicated what he meant and smiled back at him.

There was no turning back now.

"Daddy?"

Ichigo's dilated pupils turned to his two sons that were standing at a distance. He weakly replied "Yes?"

The two boys walked over to the couch where their father was and kneeled in front of him. "Daddy, we're really sorry for acting so insensitive before. We didn't stop to realize how you felt about... everything."

Ichigo smiled at his two boys. "No you guys. _I'm _sorry. I can't honestly say that I'll never do that stuff again, no matter how much Grimmjow wants me to." Ken'Ichi and Tetsuya gave each other skeptical looks as they could almost sense that this was a lie. Nonetheless, they had to continue on with their plan.

Just then, the three of them heard a knock at the door. Ken'Ichi and Tetsuya glanced over at each other with their eyes lit up.

"Who's that at the door?" Ichigo mumbled.

"Uhh, we ordered pizza daddy." Ken'Ichi replied.

"Want me to pay for it?" Ichigo asked. He tried to get up from the couch to try and take out his wallet, but his sons gently layed him back on the couch.

"No, no it's okay, daddy." Ken'Ichi reassured. "We'll get it ourselves. You'll get yours soon enough."

"I raised some responsible kids." Ichigo grinned before he layed his weary head back down to rest on the couch.

Although his eyes were closed, he could hear the sound of the door opening. He had has eyes closed for at least five minutes, yet he didn't hear the sound of the door close nor did he smell the aroma of pizza. Instead, he heard very low and soft whispers and mutters. He barely made out two of the statements and thought he heard Ken'Ichi said, "he's over there" and Tetsuya say"he's really really sick". However, he passed it off as paranoia, a side effect of the crash.

He turned over to the other side of the couch, earning a quick moment of silence before it resumed to very low and barely audible mutters. After a few minutes, he heard the sounds stop and felt a pair of eyes almost hovering over him. It made him slightly uncomfortable, but he also thought it was just another side effect of the coke. He then heard the sound of footsteps growing closer to him. It got louder and louder as he felt a presence hovering over him. For a moment, he thought he was almost going crazy until he heard the sound stop. He breathed a small relieved sigh before he felt a kick collide at the side of his head and force him off the couch and on the floor.

"Oww!" the orange-haired man shrieked, rubbing his throbbing head. He opened his eyes and looked up in complete and utter surprise to see a short and petite woman with pale skin, violet-colored eyes, and black hair, with one strand of hair always hanging between her eyes.

"R-Rukia?!" Ichigo said, completely dumbfounded. "W-What the hell are you... Ken'Ichi!" Ichigo turned an angry glare over at the door, but only managed to see the door firmly shut.

"No, not Ken'Ichi!" Rukia shouted. The strawberry-blonde vaguely remembered when he had said the exact same statement a little more than a year earlier. He was defending the boy from Chad when he had told him about.. Ichigo didn't even want to go there. He thoughts were curtailed when he felt another kick in the face that forced him on the ground, flat on his back.

"What the hell is it going on?" Ichigo said through gritted teeth.

"I know all about the cocaine the man who's giving it to you." Rukia said in a serious tone. "And don't you dare say it isn't true!"

Ichigo's stomach sank so low, he thought it sank to to bowels when he heard those words escape her lips. He was at a complete loss of words. He had no idea how he was going to explain this to one of his oldest and closest friends. His bluffs had offically been called out.

* * *

**There are 8-9 more chapters left of this story! Please R&R and the next chapter will be up soon!**


	19. Sealed Your Fate

**Chapter 19**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Ichigo looked up at the black-haired woman in fear, yet he was somewhat intruiged withher matured look. Rukia had grown very slightly in height, by maybe an inch. Her black hair had grown as well, as it now reached the top of her small spine, although she still had it in the same hairstyle. She had on an all-white gown that reached all the way down to her knees with ivory strapped sandals. Minus a couple minor details, she looked virtually the same as she did years before.

"So, Rukia? How's Ashido? And the kids?" Ichigo asked nervously. He tried to steer the situation in a different direction, hoping to change the subject, but he knew all too well that Rukia would never be fooled by such a pitiful attempt, her herself having been an accomplished actress.

She and Ashido Kano had got married about a year after Ichigo and Chad had adopted Ken'Ichi. Rukia met Ashido when she was on visiting Osaka. They had been dating for four years before she got pregnant. Their oldest child, a duaghter named Risa, was a year older than Ken'Ichi. Their identical twin boys, Seiji and Eiichi, were a year younger than Minoru. They had moved to Tokyo after Risa was born, but kept in contact with Ichigo and his family over the years.

"So how are you?" Ichigo nervously asked. "How's life in Tokyo?"

"Don't give me that crap." Rukia ordered. "That is not what I came here for." Ichigo exhaled deeply, gearing himself for a confrontation.

"I came here because your kids are worried about you. After talking to them, so am I." Rukia walked up closer to Ichigo, her hands crossed and her serious expression rock-solid. "What the hell are you doing? Why are you snorting coke with Grimmjow?"

Ichigo looked away and didn't respond.

"Are you in love with him?"

Ichigo didn't respond. Not until he felt a small but powerful fist knock him on the side of his head.

"Ow, dammit! I don't know, okay?!" Ichigo responded while rubbing his throbbing head.

"So, what do you get out of it?!"

Ichigo stood up from off the floor, his height still towering over Rukia like always.

"That's a really stupid question." Ichigo tried to walk into the hallway, but Rukia's hand firmly pushed him back.

"No, what you're doing is stupid. You're letting a disgusting bottom feeder use you and and manipulate you! Don't you realize how dangerous that stuff is? It's not a joke!"

"Don't you think I know that?! I know this stuff isn't a joke! I know it's bad!"

"Than why are hell are you doing it?!"

"I-I don't know! Why are we even talking about this?!" Ichigo partially sobbed, finally starting to break down. He knew why he was doing it. With things ending with Chad the way it did. With Minoru lashing out the way he did. How his family was torn apart and all the secrets were opposed in front of him. How he felt like he had seemingly lost control over his family. His life. He couldn't handle it anymore. He no longer wanted to deal or even acknowledge all the problems that spilt out in front of him and ruined his family. With this realization, Ichigo covered his eyes and silently sobbed.

Rukia sighed sympathetically and walked over to her close friend, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"Listen, I know you and the kids have been through a rough year. But this isn't how you deal with your family falling apart."

"Sometimes I feel like we're not even a real family anymore." Ichigo whispered, pulling his hands to his mouth, revealing his red and watery eyes. "Everyone is off in their own little world, doing their own thing, not really paying attention to one another. It's almost like we're... a group of people living in the same apartment. They're messed up in the same way I am."

"Well, at least they're not snorting coke. Do you want your kids to suffer?"

"..."

"Ichigo--"

"I want them back! I just want my family back! Back to the way it was before everything went straight to hell!" Ichigo shouted. He slumped over the coffee table and sighed stressed and shaky breaths. He then felt a soft hand on the back of his shoulder.

"I know things aren't the way they should be, but as one of your oldest and closest friends, coke isn't the way." Rukia rubbed his shoulder in comfort. "You're better than this. You're better than what you're doing. And you're damn sure better than this Grimmjow."

"Don't you insult Grimmjow."

A confused and very slightly surprised Rukia looked at the orange-haired man as she backed away from him.

"What did you say?"

"Do not insult Grimmjow."

"Ichigo, what're you saying?"

"Don't you insult Grimmjow!" Ichigo shouted, his voice echoing throughout the apartment. "You think it's your hearing, maybe?"

"Yeah it actually is. I can't believe it! Everyone else is seeing what you can't! Don't you get it?! This guy is clearly bad news!"

"Everyone is trying to make me out to be the bad guy, especially Minoru. They don't understand. He does!"

"Your kids don't understand why you would let this guy come into your life and get you addicted to coke!"

"What?" Ichigo laughed incredously. "I'm not an addict."

"Drug cliché number 1." Rukia said as she held up her finger.

Ichigo half-laughed. "I can stop Rukia. Anytime I want."

Rukia put up a second finger. "Drug cliché number 2."

Ichigo threw up his hands in defeat. "Look what do you want me to say? That I've got a problem? Yeah I have a problem. Great I said it. What now?"

"Ichigo, look--"

"--Or you know what? I really don't need this right now. I'm outta here."

Ichigo brushed past Rukia with his eyes underneath his orange bangs and grabbed his car keys from the kitchen counter. "You don't understand what I've been through this past year. Chad made me this way. He's the reason I turned to Grimmjow in the first place. Minoru's been rebelling against me, acting out in school, disrespecting me, being mean to his brothers. He even stabbed stabbed a kid in school and his parents are trying to sue me! Could you like revel in this any more? You couldn't even keep Ashido from going into the military! Who are you to tell me how to live _my_ life?!"

Rukia stared at Ichigo with a hurt expression on her face. "Why are trying to hurt me? That's not fair. I'm just concerned about you!"

"Well I'm sick of you and everyone just being concerned." With that, Ichigo made his way to wall where a framed picture of him, Chad, and the kids hung from. He angrily grabbed it and threw it at the wall, causing the frame to break in half. He than ran over to the shelf and flipped the whole thing over, destroying the miltiple objects on it. He than ran back to the picture and began to rip it with tears burning in his eyes, angry at Chad, angry at Minoru, and angry at himself.

"Ichigo!" Rukia shouted. She was ignored as Ichigo began to breath shaky breaths and ran to the door. He swung it open to find Ken'Ichi and Tetsuya right beside, listening intently.

"Where are you going?" Tetsuya asked softly.

He was ignored as Ichigo ran down the stairs. He had enough of this reality that he was forced to deal with.

Rukia ran out of the apartment dor and reached the top of the stairs, watching as Ichigo descended down them. "So, you're just gonna walk away from your kids like this?! You've got three of 'em!"

"It's okay, Rukia-san." Ken'Ichi said softly.

"Ken'Ichi..."

"No really, it's okay." Ken'Ichi reassured. The three of them knew he was lying. Things were now far from okay. And things were about to get much worse.

* * *

Ichigo's Toyota Camry pulled into a parking space at the side of Grimmjow's apartment. He swung the door open closed it back shut after he got out. He began to walk to the front entrance when he grunted angrily and ran back to his car and kicked the tire in frustration. He lowered his ehad as he pondered no his actions a while back. He didn't mean a word of what he said or did. He didn't mean to walk out like that. What tore at his heart, however, was when he ignored Tetsuya without even so much as a passing glance. He lowered his head in shame and regret, wishing he could take all of that back.

"How can we ever be a family again?" Ichigo whispered. The strawberry blonde took a few deep breaths before he walked away from his car and to the entrance of Grimmjow's apartment. He didn't even want to think about the anguish his family's been put through. He felt he would lode his mind if he did.

Ichigo ascended up the stairs to the fourth floor, where Grimmjow was. He looked over at the second door on the right.

"402, Grimmjow's place." Ichigo said. He walked up to the door and knocked loudly. He could vaguelyhear the sound of a shower running and then heard it shut off quickly, presumably in response to the knock at the door. Through the peephole, Ichigo saw a pair of light blue pupil lock looks with his own brown eyes for a very brief second before they almost frantically ran off. A puzzled look came to Ichigo's face as he stood at the door. A few minutes later he heard the barely audible sound of a shower running again. A few more minutes went by before the door creeped open to reveal Grimmjow, fresh from the shower, as only a small blue towel covered him and his well-built wet and naked body was glistening in the flourescent lights, much to Ichigo's arousel.

"Ichigo!" Grimmjow said, surprised and a bit shocked. "You're here! At my apartment! Why?"

"Grimm, I really need you..." Ichigo smirked lustfully. He wrapped his arms around Grimmjow's neck, but Grimmjow gently pryed the strawberry blonde off of him.

"Uh, Ichigo, you really shouldn't be here. Now's really not a good time."

"Why? What's going on?"

"Well, ya see, I--"

Grimmjow was interrupted by the sound of the shower turning off, much to Ichigo's confusion.

"Um, Grimmjow? Your shower just turned off by itself."

"Y-Yeah, I know." Grimmjow nervously chuckled. "It's-it's automated. So really you need to get out of here fast!" Grimmjow frantically grabbed Ichigo at the back and push him towards the door.

"Wait, Grimmjow what the hell?" Ichigo spun around to face his franting lover. "What is going on? I got pissed off back home and I just want to be with someone who understands."

Grimmjow opened his mouth to respond, but he was frozen by the pair of soft lips that kissed him on the cheek. Ichigo looked in shock and confusion at the woman rubbing on his lover, his eyes widened and his jaw dropped. His gaze took notice at the golden ring on her finger, which only worsened the situation.

"Grimmy, baby, where are the long towels?" The wet and naked woman said, playfully licking the teal haired man's earlobe as she spoke. Ichigo stood in complete shock at the beautiful woman how was covered with a short yellow towel. She had flawless brown skin, light green eyes, and short blonde hair which was wet from the shower she just took. The woman looked over at Ichigo, seemingly not too surprised by him, yet a little confused.

"Grimmy, who's this?" Harribel asked.

The strawberry blonde crossed his arms. "Yeah Grimm. Who am I?" Ichigo's voice was cold and almost disoriented and nearly made Grimmjow vringe in fear.

Grimmjow's stomach twisted into knots and his heart sank into his stomach as he stood with the guise of a nervously grinning man. Ichigo looked back at him with stern and disbelieving looks in his eyes, ready to burn holes into the lying two-timer.

* * *

**I'm about to leave to go somewhere so I can't proof-read right now. I'll do that later so please forgive me. There are 8 more chapters left of this story so please R&R and the next chapter will be up soon!**


	20. A Grim Offence Part 1

**Chapter 20**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

**Warning: Language. Read with caution.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Grimmy, who's this?" Tia Harribel asked her husband. As she didn't look too surprised at the sight of the orange-haired man, it was safe to say that she didn't know about him.

Not yet, anyway.

"Yeah Grimm. Who am I?" Ichigo tried to keep his voice calm and apparently it didn't work, as Harribel gave the strawberry-blonde a somewhat confused look while Grimmjow simply looked off at the floor nervously.

The teal-haired man looked off nervously at the floor, semmingly trying to come up with something to say to try and salvage the mess he got himself into. Although he tried to think of something, he took a quick glance at his orange-haired loved and saw a pair of angry brown eyes furiously staring back at him.

Ichigo couldn't believe what he saw right in front of him. He didn't want to believe it, but the proof was looking right back at him, her blonde hair wet and clinging to her neck and face, her radiant brown skin and toned body barely covered by a yellow skimpy towel. He took him every ounce of willpower to refrain him from pouncing on the teal-haired man and shoving his fist down his throat with his woman watching.

"Well Grimmjow, who am I?" Ichigo repeated, his voice rolling with venom off of each word. Grimmjow opened his mouth to speak, but words wouldn't be enough to justify what was going on. Ichigo sensed this and gave the man a dirty and disgusted look as he slowly turned around and headed for the door, but not before he pulled out the middle finger and shouted "fuck you" just was as left, to the couple's surprise.

"Ichigo, wait!" Grimmjow pleaded.

"Fuck off!" the strawberry-blonde shouted in response before he walked out.

"What was that all about?" Harribel asked Grimmjow. She was ignored as Grimmjow ran out to chase after Ichigo. He caught up with him just as he reached the stairs. He reached out to grab him, but his attempt was met with Ichigo's fist connecting to his cheek.

_**WHAM!!!**_

Grimmjow hit the floor hard with a loud _thud_. He winced in pain as he cradled his jaw while Ichigo stood in front of him, trembling in pure anger.

"Get. The. Hell. Away." Ichigo spat through gritted teeth.

"Ichigo, I can exp--"

"--Shut up! Shut the hell up!" Ichigo roared. "Shut your stupid face! I can't even fuckin' look at you right now! I-I-I _asked_ you when we were first dating if you was ever anyone else, you said 'no'!"

"Please, I just wanna talk--"

"What is there to talk about, huh?! That was your wife, wasn't she? I saw the ring on her finger!"

Grimmjow looked off in an awkward silence, not knowing what to say that could justify why he lied to him. It was exactly how it looked; him two-timing his wife with Ichigo.

"I've already been played once, and the fact that I fell for that shit a second time--!?" Ichigo could feel his face turning red with anger, so he paused and took a deep breath in a failing attempt to try and calm himself.

"I take a trip down here to try and be with you and talk to you, only to find my boyfriend of six months in the shower with his wife!?" Ichigo could feel his face turning red with fury as well as tears threatening to slip away from his eyes.

"I know you're upset--"

Ichigo huffed incredously. It was a total understatement to say that he was just _upset. _The word "upset" couldn't even be applied to the situation at hand.

"No, I'm not. Upset is when my kids leave the apartment with the iron plugged in. I'm livid. Boiling. _Pissed_ beyond all recognition!!"

"Can we talk about this?"

Ichigo folded his arms. "You have ten seconds."

"Okay, you called my bluff. She is my wife. We've been together for a while-"

"What's a while? Well?!"

"...A few years."

Ichigo smirked in disbelief at this revalation. He tried to walk down the stairs but Grimmjow pulled him back. Ichigo growled and hit in the chest, causing him to fall back down.

"You're married! You don't think that's something I should've know about?" Ichigo angrily stormed doen the stairs with Grimmjow almost chasing from behind. They had walked down two flights of stairs with Ichigo batting Grimmjow's hands away from him before he finally stopped to push Grimmjow away.

"Ichi, just let m--"

"Don't fuckin' call me that! You'll never call me that ever again!"

"Ich-"

"J-J-Just let me ask you a question: Is she or is she not your wife?"

"Look, I--"

"_Is_ she or is she not your wife?!" Ichigo repeated, with voice heated in loathe, frustration, and anger.

"Ichigo, look!"

"_IS_ SHE YOUR MOTHERFUCKIN' WIFE?!?!" Ichigo screamed so loud his voice cracked. Silence then casted its spell in the room and lingered for several minutes. Grimmjow knew he had to tell the truth because now, there was no more room for any more lies. It was time to stop his lying and face up to this one.

"Yes." The teal-haired man said in defeat.

"Okay, that's all I need to know." Ichigo said as he retreated further down the stairs.

Grimmjow opened his mouth to say something, but Ichigo quickly struck down the attempt. "You-You know what? It doesn't even matter what the hell you hafta 'cause you're a liar, Grim. A filthy-" Ichigo's face cringed in disgust as he briefly welled up. "-God, you're a filthy fuckin' liar. I never want to see your fuckin' face again!"

Grimmjow was at a complete and total lost for words. "I just-"

"-You know what? Minoru was so right about you! I didn't want to believe it at first, but he was so right from the start. You're even worse than Chad!" Ichigo said in a final remark to the man as she walked down the last of the stairs in an angry huff.

His whole world didn't even make sense anymore. He was done. Done with the secrets. Done with the lies. He was done with everything pertaining to a relationship.

He was fooled once, and he would be damned if he sat back and let that happen again.

* * *

Grimmjow stood on the stairs as he watched his now former lover storm down the stairs and push past the entrance. He was stunned and surprised as to what had just happened. It blew past him so fast, he didn't even have a chance to try and explain himself. Not that there was much to try and explain.

"Dammit" Grimmjow said under his breath. He shook his head, disappointed that he let things go too far. When he turned around to ascend back up the stairs, his heart sank when his eyes were met with a pair green eyes that were staring back through tear-filled eyes.

"Tell me this is not happening..." Grimmjow whispered silently.

"I heard everything. Is what he said true?"

Telling her the truth would damn him for an eternity with his wife, but he also knew that he would also lose her if he lied again at this point.

Either way, he was screwed.

But he had to tell her and try to make her understand.

"Yeah, Tia... it's true."

* * *

Ichigo stormed out from the apartment complex with his face red and tears practically dangling from his eyes. At that point, he wasn't even mad at Grimmjow anymore. He was mad at himself. Mad at himself for letting a disgusting bottomfeeder use him to cheat on his wife.

_"Do you thing I'm wierd?"_

_"I think your perfect."_

Mad at himself for thinking that things could ever work out with a guy like that.

_"I love you more than Chad ever did."_

_"You swear?"_

_"I swear."_

Mad at himself for falling for the teal-haired man's schemes. Ichigo was smarter than that.

_"This is what you need to get over Chad. All you gotta do is break it up with a razor and then snort it. Simple as that."_

_"Grimmjow, you do coke?"_

_"Please I've done it like twice. It's no big deal, believe me."_

_"Are you sure? Because that's how it always starts."_

_"Don't be so dramatic. These are special circumstances. You will feel better Ichigo. Come on."_

All the things he said racing through his mind. He felt stupid for ever letting Grimmjow talk him into even considering something like that. But what truly torn at his heart was how he didn't listen to his family's warnings about him, especially Minoru. They all tried to warn him, but he stubbornly refused to listen.

_"Man, who gives a shit about him?!"_

_"You and dad are my parents; Grimmjow will never be."_

_"Daddy, we have to tell you something-- about Grimmjow. He's not who you think he is."_

_"Something's off with him."_

A sense of deja vu ran through Ichigo as he remembered what had happened with Chad a year before. To just remember the hurt and betrayal that ran through him a year before slowly creep back inside him to consume him made him feel almost physically ill.

Tears began to form and fall from Ichigo's already swollen eyes. When he realized that feeling had come back to haunt and tear at him, he covered his mouth with his hand and slowly retreated to his car. He opened the car door and sunk into the driver's seat, his tears now falling freely.

"How could I have been so blind?" Ichigo whispered through choked sobs. The dentrimental effect Grimmjow was having on him and how he didn't protest against it-- not effectively, anyway. He felt horrible for doing that to his kids, as well as himself. After sitting in silence for a few minutes thinking about all the things that had happened with Grimmjow. He slowly pulled out his phone and took a deep breath.

He had to apologize to his family.

The strawberry blonde opened the car door and walked over to a telephone booth. He used speed dial to call back the house. After three or four rings, the person picked up on the other end of the phone and said "Hello?"

"Ken'Ichi, it's me." Ichigo was trying his hardest not to break down, but his tone was shaky and his tone didn't go up above a whisper.

"Dad?" Ichigo could hear Minoru sigh a breath of relief. "Where are you? Are you okay?"

"Where's Tetsuya?"

"He's hear with me and Rukia. We're all still back at the house."

"What about Minoru? Any chance he might be home?"

"No, he's been with Dad for days, remember? But he did call and say that he was walking back here. Something about things not working out with Dad."

Ichigo briefly sobbed before he regained his composure. "Okay, fine."

Ken'Ichi noticed the worry and sadness in his father's voice. "Dad, is everything okay?"

"Ken'Ichi, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry... for everything."

* * *

"GET OUT!!" screamed Harribel as she threw the last of Grimmjow's things at him. "You'll never change! We're finished--forever!" She then slapped him and pushed him out of the door to his former home, slamming the door in his face.

To Grimmjow, it almost didn't seem real. Less than a hour ago, Grimmjow was making mad and passionate love to Harribel in the kitchen, and the next minute, he stood outside of their home, a large blue bag hanging over his shoulder and some of his clothes scattered outside around him.

Ichigo wasn't the first guy Grimmjow cheated on his wife with.

He was the fourth.

Although he was married to Harribel for years, there would be times where he would get 'bored' with her and go out of his way to find a little fling with other men, given he was bisexual.

The first guy he had an affair with was with an younger man named Taichi who was attending a community college. The affair started a month after he and Harribel got married and went on for about four months before Grimmjow ended things with him. Harribel never found out.

Not about Taichi, anyway.

Almost a year later, when Harribel found out she was pregnant with his child, Grimmjow went back out looking for someone else to "fling" with and ended up coming across a high school student named Kenji. Grimmjow's affair with this man went on for about 9 months, up until Harribel gave birth to his son, Nagorno. Unlike the last time, Harribel found out and kicked him out mere days after the baby was born. However, days later, Grimmjow apologized to her and she took him back.

When Harribel got pregnant again a year later, Grimmjow once again felt the urge to 'fling' around again and ended up with a hairstylist named Mitsuru. The affair lasted long after Harribel gave birth to a daughter, Ibiza. When Harribel found out that Grimmjow was at it again, she kicked him out again and even tried to make him sign divorce papers. However, he sweet-talked his way out of trouble and Harribel eventually took him back.

It wouldn't be long before Grimmjow would go at it again, as he found himself getting 'bored' with his wife again. Oppurtunity came to him about six months back when he was sent out by his workplace to fix a blue Toyota Camry that had broken down on a freeway. A blue Toyota Camry that belonged to a certain orange-haired man that was going through a tough separation...

Grimmjow was always able to fix things and weasel his way out of trouble. Not this time. Harribel wasn't trying to her his excuses and stories any longer. After hearing Grimmjow's conversation with Ichigo, Harribel told Grimmjow that she was finished with him for good and not to be surprised if he saw divorce papers delivered to him. Grimmjow had to admit that he messed up; it was a mistake to be with a single father. He thought of Ichigo's three kids, all of whom he thought of as 'annoying brats'. Especially Minoru.

"Shit." Grimmjow mumbled as he picked up the clothes that Harribel threw out. "I should never had hooked up with a single father, no matter how easy he is. Those three stooges he calls kids. Especially that goddamn Minor--" Grimmjow then remembered the last thing Ichigo had said to him before he left.

_"-You know what? Minoru was so right about you! I didn't want to believe it at first, but he was so right from the start."_

"Minoru. He did this." a dirty look appeared on the teal-haired man's face as he walked away and headed down the stairs, his body itself seething with anger.

When he pushed past the door to his building complex, he turned the corner to see Ichigo's blue Toyota Camry still parked by the side, the door to the driver's seat wide open. He smirked when he saw Ichigo standing in a telephone booth with his back turned.

"What a dumbass." Grimmjow coldly spat. Without another word, he hopped into the car and slam the door shut. He could only half laugh when he saw the keys in the ignition and Ichigo's phone on the passenger's seat.

Ichigo suddenly jumped with surprise when he heard the sound of a car engine getting started. When he turned around, he was shocked to see his car pulling out of the parking lot and he hastily ran out of the phonebooth. While the sun was setting and it was starting to get dark, Ichigo was vaguely able to make out who was in the driver's seat. His eyes widened when he realized who it was.

"Grimmjow, get out of the car!!" Ichigo shouted. The strawberry blonde ran to the front of the car, but Grimmjow quickly shifted and sped from the parking lot. Ichigo tried to dodge him, but Grimmjow gripped the steering wheel and ran over Ichigo's foot, causing him to stumble to the ground hard.

"Aaaaarrrgh!!" Ichigo wailed in pain as he clutched his foot. Although his eyes were shut tight, he was pretty sure that the bones in his foot had been crushed. He couldn't even crawl without feeling the pain vibrate and send waves of tortorous physical agony throughout his body. Ichigo opened one of his tear-filled eyes only to see no sign of Grimmjow and his Toyota Camry. Both were long gone.

* * *

Grimmjow gripped the steering wheel tighter and got onto the highway and sped up, cars yielding in mercy as the Toyota Camry accelerated past them. Vexed about how his world had been turned upside down in just one day, he realized nothing could get any worse, as all of his cards had been laid out on the table.

But there was still one card he had not played.

"I've got nothing to lose now. Minoru, your ass in mine. Literally." Grimmjow snarled.

* * *

**Please R&R and part 2 (chapter 21) will be up soon! You WILL NOT believe what happens next!**


	21. A Grim Offence Part 2

**Chapter 21**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

**Warning: Mentions of rape, violence, and language. I changed the rating to M for a reason. Be prepared for what happens in this chapter...**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Aargh!!"Ichigo cried out in pain. About ten minutes had gone by and he was still crunched up the cold hard pavement, clutching his foot that still surged in horrid pain. Just mere moments ago, Grimmjow had stolen Ichigo's car and when the strawberry blonde tried to stop him, he could see Grimmjow smirk sadistically as he drove past Ichigo and run over his foot, twisting his ankle out of place and possibly even fracturing the bones underneath.

Ichigo could barely keep his tear-filled eyes open, let alone form any words articulate enough to call for help. Then again, his shrieks and screams should have been enough to get somebody's attention by now. He felt his face burning red and several small veins throbbing on his forehead, giving away just how much in pain he was.

"Oh my goodness!"

Ichigo thought he was hearing things, but he still partially opened his eyes. To his surprise and relief, he to a tall man standing on the curb. He had messy curly brown hair that reached down to his shoulders. He was wearing a yellow and orange striped polo shirt with a pair of khaki pants that were ripped from the knees down.

Ichigo breathed a small breath of relief when he saw the man rushing to his side.

"Wow, we need to get you to a hospital." The man stated, examining Ichigo's injury. The man very lightly brushed on his ankle, but Ichigo still winced in pain. "This looks bad. Really bad."

"My... car..." Ichigo mumbled slowly, trying to talk through the pain.

The curly haired man quickly looked around to see what cars in sight he was talking about. "Which car?"

"...He stole it..."

"Who? Look, just forget about the car. I'm calling 911." The curly haired man tried to carry Ichigo off the ground, but Ichigo batted his hands away.

"No! My car! Grimmjow stole it! He's after my family!" Ichigo shouted. Ichigo opened his eyes to se that the curly haired man's eyes grew wide in shock and slight fear as Grimmjow's name was called.

"D-Did you say Grimmjow? As in Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez?"

Ichigo slowly readjusted himself in a slightly more comfortable position on the ground; he turned to lay completely on his back and slowly sat up partially, wincing from the pain of his leg the whole time. "Do you know him?"

"_Know_him? Are you kidding?" the man replied in an incredoulous voice. "Grimmjow Jaegerjaques has been in and out of jail for child molestation for the past 2 years!"

Ichigo's eyes widened in shock as he hear the words that escaped from the man's mouth. "What... did... you just say?"

* * *

Ken'Ichi sat on the couch of the living room with his hands clasped together. He stared at the floor trying to understand what was really going on. He didn't understand the change in his father. Almost 2 hours ago, he had destroyed half the living room and ran off in a frustrated rage when all he, Tetsuya, and Rukia were trying to do was help him. Were things truly that bad with Ichigo? Had they all had been that insensitive towards Ichigo? But then again, what else were they supposed to do? Stand by and let their father destroy himself with drugs? Everything they had done, they did it for Ichigo. If being caring and concerned for his father was wrong, they damn sure didn't want to be right.

"Ken, don't blame yourself." Ken'Ichi looked up to see Rukia standing in front of him, half-smiling. "You guys didn't do anything wrong."

"You mean put pressure on him? Not taking into consideration how he felt? We never even tried to understand what he was going through. We put Grimmjow down the moment we met him."

"For pretty good reasons, Ken'Ichi! That guy's nothing but slime!"

"Still, I just wish..." Ken'Ichi shook his head slowly, giving up what he was about to say.

Rukia sat down next to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Wish what?"

"A part of me wished that... I never told Ichigo what happened... in the first. If I never opened my big mouth, none of this would have ever happened. Things went pretty much downhill from that day. Chad left,... we were miserable for months,... then we meet a guy who fools us into thinking he's good, but then gets my father hooked on cocaine and tries to turn him against us--"

"Ken, stop it." Rukia ordered, slightly nudging the boy's arm. Just the fact that he would blame himself for everything was too painful to watch and hear. "Everything you did, you did for your family. You can't blame yourself for your fathers' actions. Chad _chose_to cheat on Ichigo, and Ichigo _chose_ to use cocaine. It was their choice. You and your brothers had nothing to with that."

Ken'Ichi stopped his speech, he'd already gained a slightly hysteric tone and buried his hands into the locks of his light brown hair. Rukia made him feel a little bit better, but he still couldn't accept what she was telling him. He still felt like all of this was because of him.

"I know it's tough right now, but if you--" Rukia was interrupted by the ringing of the telephone on the coffee table. "Hold that thought" Rukia said. She got up and walked over to the coffee table and answered the phone.

"Hello?" Although Ken'Ichi couldn't hear the voice of the person on the other end of the line, he became concerned when he saw Rukia's expression gradually turn become more shocked. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped, which she covered with her mouth. "...Oh my god! Okay, I'll tell him right now!" Rukia ran back to Ken'Ichi, who had gotten up from off the couch when he saw how her mood had changed for the worst.

"What is it?" Ken'Ichi asked.

"Minoru! Where's Minoru?"

"H-He called a while ago and told me that was walking back home." Rukia whispered a faint "oh god" under her breath, much to Ken'Ichi's confusion.

"Ken'Ichi, wake up Tetsuya. You have to find Minoru, now!"

"Wh-Why? what's going on?!"

* * *

Rukia and Ken'Ichi flew off down the stairs of the apartment, with Ken'Ichi holding Tetsuya in a baby carrier on his back, and his cell phone in his hand. "Hello, police? My brother's in danger. I don't know where he is. All I know is a man named Grimmjow Jaegerjaques is after him. Please hurry."

Brushing past the front entrance, Rukia, Ken'Ichi, and Tetsuya hopped into Rukia's grey-colored Toyota, pausing only to put and secure Tetsuya in the back seat in his baby seat. After adjusting the toddler, Ken'Ichi flipped open his cell phone once again and quickly dialed a number. After one ring, the person on the other end picked up and said "Hello?"

"Dad!"

"Ken'Ichi? Is everything okay?"

"Dad, where's Minoru?"

"He left a while ago. He said he was going back home. He hasn't come back yet?"

"No! Dad, Minoru's in danger!"

"What?!"

"I can't explain right now, but daddy's on his way to the hospital and Grimmjow is after Minoru!"

Not wasting another second, Rukia sped out of the parking lot and onto the highway. They had to rescue Minoru at all costs.

* * *

Minoru walked the dark streets of Boverne with his arms across his chest, shivering as he looked around. The sun had set a few minutes ago, being replaced with a dark sky devoid of the moon and the stars. The creepy looking scenery was also equipped with police sirens in the background. His thoughts wandered around his confrontation with Chad almost an hour back as well as his problems with the rest of his family. Although he was upset for how things were handled and how the family was torn apart in front of him, he didn't realize just how much of a toll it took on him. He never purposely tried to screw around in school and get in trouble, but after Chad left and they were all miserable, Minoru didn't know how to deal with it. He felt that school was a way to forget about his issues and even alleviate them a little bit.

Things had never looked grimmer than now. His connections with Ichigo, Chad, and Ken'Ichi had been weaker. Minoru had been fighting so hard to bring his family back together, he wasn't sure if it was even worth it anymore.

Minoeu looked around at the dark and barren streets of Boverne and sighed. Whenever coming from Chad's apartment, he always took the bus through Boverne. However, he missed the last bus and was forced to walk all the way back home. Minoru had only gone through here during the daytime and the place looked completely different at night. Most of the shops had already closed, and the street signs would only point to more vast stretches of dark and empty stores.

_'Am I even going in the right direction?' _Minoru thought as he stopped to look around. Each direction looked the same; a long line of dark streets with a string of closed stores. Tears threatened to spill from the young boy's eyes, but he deny them to fall. All he wanted was to go home and try and sleep on his warm bed in his comfortable room. He was tired of fighting, he was tired of always been caught in the middle of something. He was just fed up. All he wanted now was just to sleep.

Eventually, Minoru found himself across the street from the Boverne community park.

He sighed a breath of relief. "Not too far now." He then crossed the streets to cut through the park and head home. He had just barely gotten to the front of the entrance when he saw a pair of bright yet faint lights shine on him. Although he shielded his eyes from the near blinding light, he still saw spots. When the spots disappeared, Minoru's eyes took notice of the blue Toyota Camry that drove up slowly against the curb.

Minoru smiled as he sighed another breath of relief. "Daddy!" he started waving his hands to catch the car's attention. It apparently worked, as the Camry came to a stop and its parking lights turned off. Minoru slowly began to walk up to the car, completely oblivious as to who was really the driver.

"Daddy," Minoru shouted, slowly walking up to the car as he talked, "Look, I just wanna say I'm sorry. I'm sorry about everything I put you through. I've been really selfish and I never stopped to think how you felt about... well, what had happened. I know that I haven't been the most understanding or compassionate, but now all I wanna do is just try and sort things out. Even without dad. I love you daddy, and I'm sorry. Really, really sorry."

Minoru was just a few meters away from the car now. He peered his head to see inside, but even up close it was still too dark to see inside the car.

"Dad?" Minoru took a step forward and proceeded almost cautiously. The window car then lowered down a little bit, just enough for Minoru too see the silhouette of somebody's head, although it was still too dark to see actual face.

"Dad?" Minoru called out again. He didn't get a response.

Minoru groaned irritatedly and walked over to the other side of the car. "Dad, come on. Please say something." He was already at the driver's side when he saw another silhoutte. Only now that he got a slightly better look, it didn't look like Ichigo's profile. Despite this, he put it off as the dark playing tricks on him and got into the car and shut the car door behind him.

"Dad, let's go home." Minoru said with a smile.

"Bitch, we're not going home."

The hairs on Minoru's neck all stood up at once when her heard that cold and maniacal voice. It wasn't, it couldn't have been.

"Hello there." The shadow turned his around to reveal himself as Grimmjow, much to Minoru's horror. "What? Were you expecting your orange-haired mommy?"

Minoru sat literally frozen in fear at the teal-haired man sitting in front of him, grinning like a maniac. The young boy was too scared to even process any thoughts. Without a word or a thought, Minoru frantically unlocked the car door, swung it back open, and ran off into back into distance, much to Grimmjow's amusement. The teal-haired man simply smirked at the boy's futile attempt to escape and stepped out of the car.

Minoru ran as fast as he could. He he ran back to the intrance of the park and quickly scrambled up the fence. When he reached the top, however, he slipped at the top of the railing and fell into the shallow mud below. Not even registering the brown mud stains that partially covered him, Minoru resumed his getaway, not even looking back to see if the teal-haired man was following him. He could feel his stamina giving way and his breaths becoming short and jagged, but he didn't stop, although he may have slowed down.

Eventually Minoru's decreasing stamina couldn't be ignored any longer and he nearly collapsed at a tree. He cletched his chest with one hand and covered his mouth with the other, not wanting his loud breathing to be heard. He looked behind him only to see a dark stretchs of an empty park. No footseps, no shadows, nothing but him.

Minoru's thoughts began to process back into his head now that he was catching his breath. It didn't seem real. He felt like he was in a horror movie and he didn't know how it was going to end. How did Grimmjow steal Ichigo's car? Where was Ichigo? Did something happen to him? Did anybody even know where he was or if Grimmjow stole his father's car? So many questions and anxiety running through his head, he failed to notice the large figure from behind him. But by the time he did feel another presence hovering in front of him, it was already too late. Grimmjow threw himself at Minoru and pinned him to the ground by almost crushing both of Minoru's wrists. Minoru opened his mouth to scream, but a cold, strong hand covering his mouth took the opportunity away from him

"No..." Minoru shouted under Grimmjow's hand. "Please don't...!"

"I don't care what you want, faggot!" Grimmjow screamed, sitting up on Minoru's lap to take off his jacket. "Do you know what I want? Huh?"

Minoru could feel tears brimming in the corner of his eyes when he watched the insane green eyes of the man sat was on top of him; he already knew what was about to happen to him, the bulge in the man's dark jeans was proof.

No. He couldn't let this happen. It was in him to give up. He began a new and violent attempt of struggling but Grimmjow responded by his fist slamming into Minoru's stomach, causing him to spit up blood.

"Get-get off me..." Minoru could barely mumble the words out of his blood-filled mouth. His whole body was quivering and shaking; it wasn't because of the cold night-air that hit his body or the wet and cold grass that harassed his skin or the thought at what was going to happen to him and how weak he actually was under his father's hold. It just Grimmjow: the green, insane eyes that were full of lust and insanity, mercilessly staring him down into the wet and dirty ground.

Minoru tried to once again wiggle out of Grimmjow's grasp, whose pants were now unbuttoned. When he noticed Grimmjow's legs spread to climb back on top of him again, Minoru saw the opening and kicked the man hard in his crotch. Grimmjow grunted in pain as he let go of Minoru to grab onto his private area. Frantically and quickly scrambling up to his wobbling feet, Minoru tried to run away from Grimmjow who was still clenching his crotch. But the man quickly recovered when he noticed Minoru scrambling away from him and took chase. He pushed his body forward just in time to grab Minoru's ankle, sending the boy flying into the cold, wet grass. Grimmjow crawled on top of Minoru's back, grabbing the boy's shirt by the collar before riping it into two.

"You are pretty, aren't you?" Grimmjow lustfully smirked. "Almost girl pretty."

* * *

Sirens were wailing as three police cars raced through the streets of Boverne, trying to find any suspicious behavior that may have had something to do with the attack of an 11-year old boy. They soon took notice of a certain blue car that had been abandoned in front of the local park with the lower driver's side door wide open.

"Blue Toyota Camry!" A police officer shouted. "That's the car. They're here!"

"I'll cut them off from this end!" Another officer shouted. "You two get them from the other side!"

The other officers nodded in response. While the other two cars drove on to get to the other side, the other cop car stopped in next to the abandoned car and two police officers made their way into the park.

* * *

Minoru was dragged by his hair back onto his feet, only for Grimmjow to slam his face back unto the ground. The boy was now naked and badly bruised all over with with his pants and boxers being the only barrier left. Grimmjow climbed back on top of the boy and then threw a series of slaps and punches on the boy's face. Minoru tried to fight back, but to no avail. He had already been beaten and sexually assualted and was far too weak now to even try. Grimmjow was just too strong.

"Please..." Minoru hoarsely whispered, but Grimmjow wouldn't listen.

"Hello! Is anyone there?!" A faint voice replied.

Using all the strength he could gather, Minoru screamed at the very top of his lungs. "HEEEEEEEELP!" Minoru screamed so loudly his voice cracked.

"Minoru!! Where are you?!!"

"DAAAA--" Grimmjow's hand covered his mouth, but he finally managed to lay a punch to the teal haired man in the eye, making him see a flood of stars. Using this opportunity, Minoru scrambled onto his feet and limped to where he heard the voices calling out to him.

"DAD!!"

"Minoru!" the boy's heart wept when he saw Chad and jumped onto him, grabbing and hugging him tightly as the 11-year old sobbed onto his father's shoulder.

"Hold it! Stay right there!" A police officer screamed as he ran up to catch Grimmjow. Grimmjow tried to run, but the officer grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him to against a tree with his hand on Grimmjow's neck. "You make a move, I'm gonna break your neck. Clear?"

Minoru sobbed hysterically as he held onto his father even tighter. Chad looked on in disbelief as he looked at his son's naked, battered and bloodied body.

"It's okay. It's okay. It's alright. You're gonna be just fine. It's alright. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere, okay? You're alright. You're gonna be okay." Chad whispered comfortingly. Chad could feel his son nodded into his shoulder as he began to cry even harder.

* * *

Chad sat in a chair at a nearby waiting room, holding his jaw with his hand. His head was hung low so that his soft brown hair hid his red and puffy eyes from view.

"Sado-san?" A police officer walked up to him.

Chad stood up and wiped his eyes. "So, where is he?"

"We found the creep that did this to your son. He's being held without bond until his trial begins in a couple of months. He's a repeat offender of child molestation. This time they think they can finally nail him for good." The police officer replied, tipping his hat to Chad before he left. Chad small elated breath when he felt a small dainty hand on his arm. He looked around to see that it was Rukia standing next to him.

"So he's going to prison?" Rukia asked.

"Oh yeah." Chad sighed. Although this was good news to him, it was still completely overshadowed by the bigger situation at hand. Minoru, an 11-year old boy, had been sexually assualted by a man in his thirties. A man who had been let into his home. A man who had eaten from his refrigerator. A man who had slept in _his_ bed, with _his_ lover.

* * *

Ichigo sat upright in his hospital bed petting the hair on Minoru's head, whose head was lying on his father's stomach. Both were in hospital gowns and were injured. Ichigo's foot sat elevated with a pillow underneath it for support while Minoru had bandages covering the cuts and bruises in his face and hands. The 11-year old eyes were still red and puffy from earlier, but that didn't stop new tears from slowly filling his eyes.

"The first time it happened was when, um, when you, Ken and Tets had left the house one night, he came in through the spare key under the welcome mat." Minoru's voice was barely above a whisper as he stood completely still.

"I never told him about that." Ichigo whispered. Tears were slowly beginning to feel his eyes, but he nonetheless continued to listen attentively to his son.

"When I asked him what he wanted, he had said that it was more like... 'who' he wanted." Ichigo's jaw quivered as he sat frozen with comprehension as he began to recognize the truth about his relationship with Grimmjow. "He grabbed me, threw on the floor, and told me not to tell you. He even took a knife and-- and cut me."

Ichigo closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he gathered the strength to listen to his son, although he felt tears now dangling from his eyes.

"When he found me by the park, he chased me,... ripped my clothes off,.. pulled my pants down,... and he... made me--" Minoru had then completely broke down and sobbed, too horrified to continue to talk. Tears now fell freely from Ichigo's eyes and stained his disgusted and regretted face as he finally realized the truth about that man.

"Why didn't you tell me? I would've believed you, you must've known that."

"I--I guess a part of me really wanted you to be happy again, even if that meant Grimmjow still being in the picture. I just thought that we wouldn't talk about it anymore and that if he left, you would think it... was my fault..." Minoru broke down and sobbed once again, until he felt a pair of arms pull him up and embrace him in a warm hug.

"I would never think it was your fault." Ichigo sobbed, holding his son even tighter with each word he said. "I would _never_ think that."

"I'm so sorry daddy. For everything I put you through."

"_I'm_ sorry, son. I'm sorry."

Both men silently cried in each other's arms throughout that night not because they were said, but because they had found comfort in each other, their strained bond fully replenishing the entire time.

* * *

"To start, I want to appluad Minoru for being brave enough to share his story." therapist Retsu Unohona said as she looked over at Minoru and smiled. "The healing process isn't easy, but with all of you working together as a family, this is an important first step."

Minoru half smiled and nodded at Unohona's statement in agreement. He looked to his left and saw his fathers, Ichigo and Chad, sitting right next to him on the large black couch. He looked to his right and saw his brothers, Ken'Ichi and Tetsuya, on his right. Ken'Ichi stared off in silence, apparently trying to comprehend the entire situation. He then looked over to Minoru with regret in his eyes.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention to you and... I wouldn't let you tell me."

"...I thought that you were ashamed of me." Minoru replied softly.

"I didn't protect you."

Minoru smiled sympathetically. "We're just kids."

"Still..."

Ken'Ichi felt his younger brother's hand clasp into his. "You're here now. That's all that matters."

Ken'Ichi sniffled and let out an elated breath, tightening the grip on his brother's hand. "Yeah, you're right."

Minoru smiled at his older brother one more time before he turned his view back over to Unohona. "I think I'm ready now." Minoru looked over to Ichigo and clasped his hand as well. Ichigo smiled and tightened his grip as well. "We all are."

* * *

**Alright, the story is still far from over! It's more like the end of the Grimmjow storyline, so Ken'Ichi's relationship with Toshiro and Loly will be the main focus for the remaining chapters. PLEASE PLEASE R&R and the next chapter will be up soon!**

**Hints at next week's chapter:**

**-One birthday, **

**-Two secrets, **

**-Three big surprises!**


	22. Let's Play A Game, Just Say My Name

**Chapter 22**

**Disclaimer: I do not own bleach**

**For the rest of the story, the remaining chapters focus on Ken'Ichi, Toshiro, Ichigo, and Chad.**

**Enjoy**

* * *

Tetsuyagiggled as he slowly opened the door to his elder brothers' room. He had to be cautious with this; he couldn't make a sound... yet. Dragging the heavy megaphone on the floor, he tiptoed over to Ken'Ichi's bottom bunk bed and silently snickered when he looked over his oldest brother. Ken'Ichiwas sprawled out on his bed, snoring loudly withhis face half buried in his pillow, which was partially damp with drool.

With a small grunt of effort, Tetsuya pulled up the megaphone and positioned it next to Ken'Ichi's ear. "SURPRISE!" the toddler shouted, which woke up his older brother with a jolt.

"Happy 14th birthday, Ken!" Tetsuya happily exclaimed, still shouting into the megaphone.

"Oh, wow." Ken'Ichi closed his eyes and smiled at his brother, remembering that today was his birthday, april12. With everything that had been going on, his own birthday just slipped out of his mind. "Thanks for remembering, Tets."

The two boys both heard a tired groan from the top bunk. "Ugh, what's going on?" Minoru tiredly asked, rubbing his eyes and wiping drool from his chin.

"Today's Kenny's birthday!" Tetsuyashouted into the megaphone again, jumping up and down with excitement.

"Oh," was all Minorucould say. With a silly look on his face, he had also forgotten his older brother's birthday. "Oh, Ken'Ichi, I'm so sorry, I completely forgot."

"It's okay, really." Ken'Ichi wiped the last traces of sleep from his eyes. He _had _known his birthday was coming up. Every year it was Ken'Ichi'sfavorite hobby to annoy his family with subtle hints to his birthday and not-so-subtle hints to what presents he wanted, but this year it just... didn't seem appropriate. Just about a week and a half ago, Minoru had been attacked and sexually assualted by Grimmjow, Ichigo's now ex-boyfriend. Ken'Ichihad remembered his own awful experience from three years ago and how horrendous it was for him to go through, mentally and physically with two scars on his stomach as a homage. Despite this, he or his family couldn't imagine what Minoru was going through. No one wanted to even acknowledge that night to him outside of family therapy. Although they all managed to put on happy faces around him, the mood of the family was somber and Ken'Ichi felt his birthday would be a bad time to bring up.

"What time is it?" Ken'Ichi looked at his alarm clock and saw that it was 10:43 in the morning. "Since I'm up, I might as well get ready. I'm meeting Toshiro later." Ken'Ichi got out of bed and patted his baby brother on the head. Without warning, Tetsuya ran out of the room. When he looked to Minoru, he saw that he had already went back to sleep with the covers completely covering him, although he was hot outside. He couldn't really blame him though, considering everything he had went been in the past week and a half.

Ken'Ichi walked out of the room and made sure to close the door gently and not wake Minoru.

When he turned around, he was greeted by a large banner that read "Happy 14 birthday!" hungingfrom the ceiling using an excessive amount of duct tape and a large chocolate cake with "Happy 14th birthday, Ken'Ichi" written in frosting that was held by Chad. Hiyori, Lilynette, and Loly were standing next to him, each holding a wrapped gift. Ichigo and Tetsuyasat in a chair next to the table, that was piled with gifts, a couple of ballons, and extra party favors.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KEN'ICHI!" they all shouted in unison, Tetsuya's voice blaring through the megaphone.

Ken'Ichi looked around at family surrounded by the small decorations and smiled. He wasn't expecting his family to do this for him.

"Thanks so much. This is so awesome," Ken'Ichi said, pleasantly and genuinely surprised at the small gathering. "I didn't think you all would remember."

"Are you kidding? How could we forget?"

Ken'Ichi turned around to see Minoru walking out of the room, out of his pajamas and fully dressed.

"I thought you were still asleep." Ken'Ichi said with a chuckle.

"I've been helping out with this all morning." Minoru had been pretending to be asleep when Ken'Ichi woke up to further add to the surprise factor and when Ken'Ichi got out of bed, he had used his comforter to cover his clothes up. "Besides, you kept farting all night. I couldn't sleep."

"You guys are the best." Ken'Ichi smiled, ignoring the pink tint of blush that ran across his face that gave away at his embarressment. He grabbed his Minoruand jokingly put him in a headlock Just the fact that his family had took the time to do this even with everything else that had been going on, that the greatest gift.

* * *

Ken'Ichi stared in awe as he dangled the slick Playstation Portable Go. "Wow, Loly, this is just what I wanted. I've been saving up for months."

Loly smiled and kissed her boyfriend on the cheek. "Well I'm glad you like it. Now, you can spend all that money on me." The couple shared a brief laugh before Lolycaressed her boyfriend's leg. "I know how hard things must be around here right now. What, with family therapy, what happened to your Minoru, your father getting injured."

Ken'Ichi sighed softly and looked over at his father. He pitifully watched Ichigo got up from the chair using a walking cane and slowly hobbled to the kitchen. Just hours before he attacked Minoru, Grimmjow had ran over Ichigo's foot with his own car. The bones in his foot had been fractured and his ankle had twisted almost completely out of its socket. It was a miracle that Ichigohad been able to still be able to stand, albeit with a cane and a cast.

"Yeah, but we're all starting to get used to it. That cane is not going away for a while." Ken'Ichi lowered his head and stared into the ground, recalling all the things that had happened that day and how it still plagued him as if it had happened yesterday.

Loly looked at Ken'Ichi with sympathy. Maybe she shouldn't ask him now. She had came over not just for her boyfriend's birthday, but for another agenda as well. But as she looked at him, at she felt was sympathy. Instead, she leaned in closer to try and kiss him on the cheek. However, Ken'Ichi quickly turned his head and pulled away.

"Sorry," he whispered, still looking off in the other direction. "I can't."

Lolychuckled and pulled his cheeks over to her, forcing him to look at her. "Aw, your morning breath is fine." Loly leaned back to kiss Ken'Ichi, but he gently pushed her hands away from her cheeks.

"No I mean this. Us." Ken'Ichi looked down on the ground, his brown hair covering his eyes. Loly moved closer to him and touched his arm. Menoly looked

"What do you mean? Is there something you wanna tell me?" Loly knew that there was still something else that he was not telling her. _Someone_else. If there was such a thing, she wanted to hear it from his mouth. If there was something going on that she didn't know, she thought hopefully that Ken'Ichi would tell her.

"Loly..." Ken'Ichi's voice trailed off. He was still haunted by the painful memories of that day, but there was indeed something else bothering him. A certain _Someone_ else. But he couldn't do it. He couldn't tell her that he was cheating, and with another guy, no less!

"Yes Ken'Ichi?"

"I... I just haven't been myself ever since...what happened." Ken'Ichi'svoice retreated into a very soft and fragile whisper, shrinking and becoming weaker with each word. "I've been trying to be so brave for my family, but It's just too much-- for me." Ken'Ichi look away and released a shaky exhale, not wanting Loly or anybody else to see him like this.

Loly shook her head lightly. She still felt like there was something else going on. Someone else she wasn't aware of. She remembered how her heart had sank when she saw that text message on her boyfriend's cell phone. Ever since then, Menoly had been telling her to investigate it, saying that even a text message like that couldn't have been a platonic message from some close friend.

"So, there's nothing else you want to tell me?"

Ken'Ichi shook his head slowly, still not wanting to look at her.

"Nothing at all that you wanna tell me? Because I'll understand and we can work through it."

She only got the same response as she did before. Loly looked down and stared at her lap, disappointed that she thought Ken'Ichi would be honest about something like that. Why are guys so typical?

"Ken'Ichi, I'm sorry, but have you..." Loly's voice trailed off.

Ken'Ichi quickly turned his gaze back to her. "Have I ever what?" the boy nervously replied.

She wanted to know if her boyfriend was cheating. Maybe, maybe really did just misinterpret that text message. Maybe it really was just a big misunderstanding on her part. But, she simply could not shake the feeling that Ken'Ichi was hiding something. She felt it in her spirit.

"Ken'Ichi, I wanna know if--"

Loly was then interrupted by the ringing of the house phone, which Chad picked up. After a few seconds, Chad held the phone out to Ken'Ichi to come and get it.

"It's for you, Ken." Chad said. "Some boy named Toshiro Hitsugaya."

Loly could see Ken'Ichi's eyes light up at the sound of that boy's name. "Yeah, hold that thought Loly." Ken'Ichi gave her a quick peck on the cheek before he got up from the couch to answer the phone. Loly rolled her eyes as she picked up the PSPGo that she bought for him before throwing it back on the couch in frustration. Why couldn't he talk to her about this? She understood that he and his family were going through hell right now, but he didn't even wanna try and talk about that with her. He had been giving her this sort of cold shoulder alot lately. He seemed almost eager to get away and talk to Toshiro Hitsugaya.

Toshiro Hitsugaya. _Toshiro Hitsugaya_. A cold realization hit Loly as she realized Toshiro's intials were the exact same as the person who had sent Ken'Ichi that text message: _T.H._

_*Hey babe, can I come over? *T. H.*_

_*I can't. My father's taking me to a game in a few minutes.*_

_*Sure I can't tag along? *T. H.*_

_*My father wants it to be just the two of us. I'll be gone all day.*_

_*Ok. Call me when you get back.*T. H.*_

_*Oh, you know I will babe lol : )_

_*T. H.*_

Everything began to click. It couldn't be. It wasn't. Ken'Ichi couldn't be gay ,... could he?

As she sat and pondered the possibility, she didn't even notice Ken'Ichi walking back over to her.

"Hey."

"I have to go." Loly got up from off the at quickly headed out the door. When she walked out of the apartment, Loly quickly pulled out her phone. Almost in anticipation, the phone began to ring.

"Hello?"

_"Loly, it's me."_

"Menoly, what is it now?"

_"Come back over to the house. There's something you have to see."_

"What? You can't tell me over the phone?"

_"Trust me, you have to see it to believe it."_

* * *

Menoly was setting the the camcorder when she heard the sound of keys in the door lock and familiar steps and sounds filled the hallway, as Loly took off her shoes.

"Okay, I'm here. What's going on?" Loly was surprised to see Menis sitting on the couch, grinning like he had just won the lottery. "What is this? What is he doing here?"

Menoly led her sister to the couch, next to Menis. She scooted a little farther from him, as she thought he smelled weird. She looked at the large scar on his neck that he received from Ken'Ichi last year and chuckled quietly.

"Loly, I thought Ken'Ichi was cheating on you before. But after talking to Menis and watching this," Menoly held up a small digital camcorder and waved it around in her sister's face. "I'm 100% sure."

"I've been thinking about how to get Ken'Ichi back, and I when I was skipping class, I stumbled on the most interesting public display of affection."

"Loly, you need to watch this. Now." Menoly sat down next to her sister and played the video on the camcorder.

A satisfied smirk crept on both Menis' and Menoly's faces when they saw Loly's jaw drop and eyes widen at the footage of Ken'Ichi and Toshiro kissing inthe alleyway behind the school. If someone else had told her this, she would dismiss it in a second. But the evidence was playing right in front of her. Solid evidence of Ken'Ichi's unfaithfulness.

At that moment, all the thoughts of her and Ken'Ichi had melted away and replaced with a fiery hatred for the boy and the thoughts of retribution filled her mind. Loly's face went blank as he turned his glare to her sister. Menoly knew that glare from a mile away; the glare that told her that Loly was about to raise some hell back in the day.

"Say guys" voice was cold and almost disoriented, "why don't we throw a birthday party for dear old Ken'Ichi? He did turn 14 today."

Menis and Menoly grinned maliciously at each other before nodding at her.

A sinister smile crept on Loly's face as she dangled the now precious camcorder in the palm of her hands. "And hell? Let's double it into a movie night for the whole school to see."

* * *

**Please R&R and the next chapter will be up soon!**


	23. Ends Here Tonight

**Chapter 23**

**Disclaimer: I do not own bleach**

**Warning: Suggestive themes in this chapter as well as language**

**Please enjoy!**

* * *

Ken'Ichi and Toshiro sat on the edge of the school roof, looking out onto the view of KaraKura town while eating a bar of strawberry ice cream. The two were both captivised by the beautiful view of the city right under them, the sound of bust cars rushing under them and the people looking like small bugs.

"Isn't this awesome?" Toshiro said, licking his ice cream.

Ken'Ichi didn't respond; his head was lowered and his eyes were focused on the busy town below. He was so in stasis that he didn't register the strawberry ice cream drops dripping onto his hand. Toshiro looked over to his boyfriend and took another bite of his ice cream.

"Ken'Ichi?" the white-haired boy asked, his growing with a hint of concern, "Your ice cream's melting." It obviously brought the boy back to reality, as he

It obviously brought the boy back to his senses, as he looked down at his hand and quickly licked off the ice cream drops and replied "I'm sorry. I was thinking about something else."

"You mean... _that_?" Toshiro didn't even want to say what he thought Ken'Ichi was talking about. He thought it would've been too painful for him but the other boy nodded his head in response, he had to try and comfort him. "Do you wanna talk about it? Talking will make you feel better."

Ken'Ichi took a couple of deep breaths and looked up briefly in the sky, preparing himself to retell that painful memory from only a week and a half back. "What that man did to my brother was...appaling and.. unforgiveable to say the least. But I... feel like, like it's my fault that it happened in the first place." Ken'Ichi shook his head as he fought tears, not even wanting to remember too much of that horrible night. Instead, he recalled a few years back when he was jumped by Menis' homophobic older brother and his friends. He never truly recovered from that day, and he had hoped that neither Minoru or Tetsuya would ever have to experience something like that.

At least that's what he hoped for. But living in an cruel and unpredictable world like this, nothing is garanteed and Ken'Ichi found that out the hard way a week and a half ago when his worst fears came true.

"Minoru's... just like me now." Ken'Ichi covered his face with one hand in an attempt to keep Toshiro from seeing him tear up. After a brief moment, he felt a hand pull him up from the ground and before he could even wipe his tears away, he felt a pair of warm lips press against his own. Ken'Ichi quickly pushed his lips back to meet the white-haired boy, and after a moment, the two pulled back away from each other.

"You can't blame yourself for something that Grimmjow did." Toshiro reassured, rubbing Ken'Ichi's shoulders in reassurance. "You couldn't have guessed he was capable of something like that. We were all fooled by him."

Ken'Ichi lowered his head as he moved his hands to meet Toshiro's own at the ends of his shoulder blades. "No, I saw through him too. I never liked him and I should've gotten rid of him the first time Ichigo came home higher than a cloud in space."

"Are there clouds on space?"

"I don't know but wouldn't that be cool?" Ken'Ichi grinned before he realized that he was digressing from the topic. He then resumed his sad and gloomy face as if the space with clouds topic had never been brought up and said with a smile. "A-Anyways, I didn't take the signs about him seriously enough. I didn't listen to my brother. Maybe if I had, things would be different." Ken'Ichi began to see that he had been being selfish for a long while. He was too preoccupied with his social life and dating that he failed to see what had been going on right under his nose.

"It's okay, It's over now."

"But I can't go back in time and fix it."

"No, but you can be there for him now. He needs his family now more than ever. Just like you needed them three years ago. Believe me, I should know."

Ken'Ichi looked up to the green eyes that breathed life and hope into him. He smiled and kissed Toshiro almost spontaneously. Toshiro was initially slightly surprised, but he quickly melted and returned the kiss. Breaking the sweet and tender kiss, Ken'Ichi smiled and said, "You're the only one that understands." When Ken'Ichi was with Toshiro, he had this indescribable pleasureable feeling in the core of the stomach. As if the whole world didn't matter and only he had. It was an amzing feeling and he could definitely that he damn sure never felt it when he was with Loly.

While thinking of the devil, he heard his cell phone go off into a jingly ring tone, ruining the precious moment between the two. Ken'Ichi turned around and pulled out his cell phone to see who it was. He was surprised to see Loly's name on the caller information screen.

"Who's that?" Toshiro asked. he tried to look over Ken'Ichi's shoulder to see who was contacting him, but Ken'Ichi almost nervously walked over to the door that led into the building.

"I-It's nobody, really but I have to take this call." Ken'Ichi walked back inside and closed the door behind him. He walked down a short fleet of stairs to make sure that Toshiro wouldn't have happened to overhear anything.

"Loly? Is that you?" Ken'Ichi whispered.

_"Hey Ken'Ichi."_

Ken'Ichi didn't like the tone of his girlfriend's voice; he recognized it was as if she was upset and was trying to hide it.

_"Hey listen, what're you doing tonight?"_

"Um, I was just gonna chill at home."

_"After you come over to my house tonight."_

"Heh, sure babe." Ken'Ichi could also hear the sound of distant snickering on the other end of the phone, but he simply dismissed this as his ears playing tricks on them.

_"Awesome, come by 6:00."_

Okay. I love you, Loly."

A sudden dial tone on the other end was the only response he got, an action that simply evolked an irritated sigh from Ken'Ichi. While he and toshiro had been growing closer, it was hindering his relationship with Loly. He was starting to grow tired of her mood swings and her increasingly isolated behavior. While he was still with her only for the sake of keeping up appearances, that wouldn't last long.

Ken'Ichi then decided he was going to end things with Loly for good that night.

* * *

_Knock Knock Knock!_

The door to Loly's house creaked open only to reveal a dark and seemingly empty living room. Ken'Ichi peeked inside to see if there was any sign of life within the barren house; there wasn't.

"Hello?" Ken'Ichi repeated these words as he took a step inside the house. He looked around and saw only an dark an empty living room. Suddenly, Ken'Ichi spun around to hear the door slam shut behind him. He ran back to the door before the lights in the house switched on to several birthday decorations and a table with a large birthday cake on it and a few presents next to the front door.

"SURPRISE!" Several teenagers jumped out of their hiding places. Some were behind the couch, some under the table, and some were simply crouched down as they faded into the darkness. Ken'Ichi smiled as he saw Loly walking up to him and greeted him with a kiss on his lips.

"Did you have anything to do with this?" Ken'Ichi smirked.

Loly smiled slyly and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Well, what kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn't give my boyfriend what he deserves in front of all his friends?"

Ken'Ichi laughed and kissed his girlfriend on the forehead.

Little did he know, he really would soon get what he had coming, but for an entirely different scenario.

* * *

Later that night, the song "Telephone" by Lady GaGa was blaring at full volume while the rather large living room was completely crowded, as usual with Loly's parties, with teenagers who were doing just as the song told them to. The party was completely crowded, even more crowded then usual. Ken'Ichi was amidst a group of teens that were dancing and jumping wildly to the song and didn't pay much attention to the fact that well over three-fourths of the school must've been here.

After a while of dancing, Ken'Ichi bounced his way out of the hot and sweaty crowd and walked over to the kitchen to get something to drink. He had reached for the cooler when he saw a hand hand him a soda. A hand that belonged to Menoly.

"Menoly?" Ken'Ichi shouted, trying to drown out the very loud music in the background.

"Had a feeling you might be thirsty." She smiled and handed the can of Coke over to Ken'Ichi. The boy fiddled with the tab of the can before looking back at Menoly and thanking her.

"Y'know, that little voice inside my head, it-it wants me to apologize for being such a bitch."

"It's okay, really. Thanks for going to all this trouble for throwing me a party. Speaking of which, where is Loly?" The last time Ken'Ichi had seen Loly was when he was dancing amongst the waves of partygoers almost an hour ago.

"Actually, Loly's upstairs. She has something to give you."

"She couldn't do it down here?" Ken'Ichi asked, confused.

"Aah, no. She wanted to do it in private. She's waiting." Menoly gave a quick wink at the 14-year old before she walked back into the living room. She walked past the crowd of dancing teens and headed for the room downstairs. She opened the door only to find Menis making out shamelessly with some girl that had short blonde hair and way too much makeup on.

"Dammit, Menis!" Menoly shut the door behind her before she grabbed the other girl by her hair and roughly shoved her out of her way. "What the hell are you doing?" Menoly said in an incredulous tone. "You should be setting up the video so we can take down that fag once and for all!"

"Hey come on! I thought this was a party!" Menis argued.

"It was never an actual party! You know why we did this! Stick to the damn plan!"

Menis sighed and replied "fine" in a defeated tone.

"Loly's already upstairs and I just told Ken'Ichi to go find her. That gives you just enough time to set up in the living room and expose Ken'Ichi with that footage. Loly'll call Toshiro and invite him to come over."

Menis chuckled. "He's not gonna find it weird that Ken'Ichi's 'ex-girlfriend' is throwing him a birthday party?"

"Humilate first, ask questions later."

"Alright okay, got it."

* * *

_Knock Knock Knock! _

"Come in!"

Ken'Ichi opened the door to Loly's bedroom to feel waves of deja vu. The room looked similar to the last time he was in here: there were candles lit all over the room and there was soft music playing from her stereo in the background. Loly was leaning against the wall and clothed in a large white bath towel robe.

"Heh, What happened in here?" Ken'Ichi asked, his voice somewhat shaky in nervousness.

"Oh nothing, I just made it a little cozier." Loly slowly walked to the her bed and seductively climbed on top of it. She patted the bed for Ken'Ichi to come sit, which he did.

"Um, where's my present?" He felt like an idiot for asking that; he was pretty sure what was he was about to receive.

Loly smiled and climbed off of her bed. With a wink at her boyfriend, she pulled off her robe to reveal her lean, smooth, and pratically naked body, the only articles of clothing on her being a black lace bra with matching panties. Ken'Ichi could feel his heart beats racing and gulped loudly, to Loly's amuse.

"You like?" Loly did a little pose for Ken'Ichi, which only added to his panic. Ken'Ichi turned a bright shade of red and his heart began to beat right out of his chest.

"Are you nervous?"

"No! Not at all!"

Loly walked over to him and pulled him up for a soft kiss. Ken'Ichi stood immobile. He couldn't believe that this was actually happening. He feel like he couldn't just passed out from how good Loly looked. And how good she smelled. And how warm her body felt against his. And how radiant and flawless her skin felt. And her silky hands rubbing up against his thighs. Some many thoughts rushed through his head as they all contributed to the growing tightness in his pants.

Loly broke the kiss and wiped her mouth. "Um, your lips are kind of sweaty."

Ken'Ichi wiped his forehead and his lips in slight embarrassment. The only time he ever sweated was when he was _really _nervous about something and his face was almost damp with persperation. Ken'Ichi awkwardly chuckled, "I guess I am kind of nervous! I have to go to the bathroom." The loud music quickly entered and left the room as the boy quickly walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.

Loly smiled slyly and pulled out Ken'Ichi's cell phone. She had managed to take it out of his pants without detection while they were kissing. She flipped open the phone and quickly scrolled through Ken'Ichi's call list. She was T.H. and dailed the number.

_"Ken'Ichi?" _Toshiro answered the phone, confirming Loly's suspicions.

Loly cleared her throat and replied in a deep, manly voice "hey man."

_"Ken? What's wrong with your voice?"_

"I, uh, have a cold. When I'm sick, my voice gets deeper. So, uh, do you wanna, like, come over to Loly's house? She threw my a surprise party."

Loly could hear the skepticism in Toshiro's voice as when replied _"Your ex-girlfriend threw you a surprise party?"_

"Ex-girlfriend? Since when?"

_"Since you dumped Loly for me a weeks ago. Remember?"_

Loly took a deep breath to refrian herself from throwing the phone at the wall before resuming her alternate voice. "Yeah now I remember. Well now, she wanted to clear with me. She just wants us to be friends again and so, she threw a party. Wanna come over?"

_"You sure it won't be weird?"_

"Of course not! There's gonna be a big surprise in you get here fast!"

_"Uh, okay I'm on my way now."_

Loly hung up and hid the phone in her drawer before jumping back on her bed.

Meanwhile, was leaning against the inside door of the bathroom. He was taking several deep breaths to calm himself. He come here to break up with Loly, not sleep with her. He had to fight that lustrous feeling that was festering inside of him.

"Suck it up. You can do this." Ken'Ichi took one last big breath before he headed back into Loly's bedroom. He walked back inside to see Loly waiting for him on the bed.

"Ready?" Loly asked. She walked over to Ken'Ichi and began to leave a slow trail of kisses from his lips to his neck. Ken'Ichi began to breath heavier as he felt his knees begin to shake. He couldn't take it any longer. There was no turning back now.

"Loly, we have to stop. I have to tell you something."

Loly looked up to see what he was talking about. "Yes, like what? Is there anything it all that you wanna tell me?" To Loly, this was Ken'Ichi final chance to fess up at his affiar and spare himself of the humiliation that would soon to come if this continued.

"I..."

"Yes...?"

"...I didn't think that this night would happen, so I didn't bring any protection."

Disappointment glimmered in Loly's eyes when Ken'Ichi shyed away from the truth. She knew about the affair and she had offered him a chance to confess-twice. She knew now that he wasn't going to fess up about it anytime soon.

At that point, any doubts about the plan and thoughts of her and him had gone away.

"It's okay. I took care of it."

"You're on the pill?"

With a sly giggle, Loly replied "Come here, you." With that, Ken'Ichi lifted her from off the ground and carried her to the bed, their lips locked the entire time.

* * *

Ichigo sat on the couch in silence, staring at Chad as he cleaned up the table with Minoru and Tetsuya. He had almost forgot what it was like having Chad around in the house. Watching the way he handled the kids, took care of the place, he had missed this feeling of security whenever he was around.

"Umm kids?" Ichigo slowly stood up with his cane. Minoru and Tetsuya ran up to him to make sure that he could stand up.

"I'm okay, really." The same day Minoru was attacked by Grimmjow, Ichigo suffered a severe blow to his ankle when Grimmjow ran over his foot with his car. He had a fracture and his joints had been disconnected, but after having surgery and with physio therapy, Ichigo was slowly regaining the use of his leg with a walking cane.

"Yes daddy?" the boys said in unison.

"Can I have a moment alone with your father?"

Both boys gave a quick glance at each other and nodded before Minoru picked up Tetsuya and carried him into his room, talking about playing how to play cards or something.

An awkward silence was then cast into the living room. Chad and Ichigo stared off into different directions with uncomfortable glares for seemed like minutes until Chad finally managed to break the silence.

"So, Ken'Ichi went over to that girl's house?"

"Yep, he did."

"It-It was nice... to throw this little thing for Ken'Ichi, I mean. Get his mind of of things, y'know?"

"Thanks for coming to therapy with us. It helped the kids."

Another uncomfortable silence filled the room as Ichigo looked down and walked up closer to Chad. Chad, however, slowly moved back turned his back.

"Ichigo, how could you be so stupid?"

A confused and offended look appeared on the strawberry's blonde's face. "Excuse me?"

"I mean, how could you misjudge him that evil man so badly? I mean, that guy-"

"_Don't _go there." Ichigo warned, with venom shouting off of each word. "I was just as fooled as everyone else!"

"That's a damn lie!" Chad shouted, spinning around to face the strawverry blonde. Ichigo trembled slightly at the sound of the profanity rarely used by the larger man. The last time Chad yelled at him was about three years ago, when Ken'Ichi landed in the hospital. "What else would you have honestly expected from a married man who gave you cocaine, huh? You should've broke things off with him when he gave you the drugs the first time!"

Ichigo couldn't believe what he was hearing. It was hard enough having to deal with everything that was going on, but for Chad to accuse him of something like that, it nearly made him sick. It was a mistake to accept the drugs on his part, but did he ever ask him for it the very first time? Did he ask him to abuse and rape his 11-year old son out in the woods at night?

"Oh god, you ripped my heart out and you came back to do it again!"

"_I _ripped _your _heart out?"

"That's how this whole goddamn thing started!"

The two began to argue, their angry and bitter voices overlapping each other. Everything bad that had happened in the past few years. Minoru's rape, Chad's infidelity, Ken'Ichi's attack, Nova, everything that had ever widened the distance between them was brought up. Neither side backed down as they continued arguing until Ichigo finally threw his hands up in frustration, anger, and regret.

"GODDAMN IT!" Ichigo screamed, throwing his walking cane at the wall, to Chad's surprise. He couldn't do this any longer. The fighting, the anger, the bitterness, the depression, everything was now literally too much for him to handle. He didn't want to play this cat and mouse game of who did what to whom. It was tearing him-and his kids-apart.

"Just…forget it." Chad said in a completely defeated tone. He, too, was fed up with everything.

"What are we doing, Chad?" Ichigo's voice had gotten much calmer.

"Fighting. Like usual."

"Just how long is this whole thing gonna on? This has been dragged out for so long, I'm tired, sick, and sick to death!" Ichigo sighed heavily. "All we ever do is fight. Just look at what we're doing to are kids. I mean Minoru's in his room safe and sound. How did things get so bad between us?"

Chad silently nodded in agreement. Back when the two were teenagers, they would have so much fun together. They loved and cared for each other so much. They each prayed for the other more than they would pray for themselves. But now... they could hardly stand to even look at each other. They both made mistakes, but things between couldn't continue like this, and they both knew it.

"How can we ever go back to the way things were?" Chad slowly walked over to pick up Ichigo's cane and returned it to him.

"We had so many plans. We were gonna buy a house last year, and adopt another child the year after..." Ichigo whispered.

Ichigo was very surprised to feel a pair of lips kiss his forehead delicately. "Chad..."

"Ichigo... Really. I mean I love you and Ken'Ichi and Minoru and Tetsuya so much with all of my heart, but this it's just…" Chad felt himself welling up.

"...It's not what it should be. We're both miserable around each other."

"And I know the kids we'll prefer us being separate and happy then together and miserable.

Ichigo sadly nodded in response. "So are you gonna take that offer in LA?"

"Thinking about it." Chad sadly nodded as well."...Yeah, I will."

* * *

**Such a sad chapter, huh? I realized how long it took me to make this story during a school year and realized how long it took me to, so I'm really sorry about that. But I'm out of school now, so expect faster updates from now on! Please R&R and the next exciting chapter will be up very soon! Seriously, PLEASE review! I want at least 5 reviews before I post the next chapter!**


	24. Already Gone

**Chapter 24**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Kelly Clarkson's song. I OWN NOTHNG!**

**Warning: Some fluff, language and suggestive material, and the cruelty of Loly : (**

**Please enjoy!**

* * *

Ken'Ichi laid in bed, his naked body glistening with sweat from his earlier activities. He looked over to the girl next to him and smiled. Ken'Ichi leaned over to support Loly's head on his shoulder.

"So, this is what it feels like to not be a virgin." Ken'Ichi joked. He was still shivering slightly; he was basking in the afterglow.

Loly chuckled and kissed his shoulder. "I don't know any virgins that could do _that _their first time." Ken'Ichi blushed when she hinted at what Ken'Ichi did while they made love; she was turning red as well, which prevented her from directly saying the dirty deed.

"Yeah, I have to use the bathroom." Loly gave her boyfriend a quick peck on the cheek before picked up the bath robe that had been thrown on the floor before her 'session' with Ken'Ichi and walked out of her door, giving the boy a quick wink before she left.

Ken'Ichi laid in bed still for a few long moments. He was completely spent, finding only enough strength to kick off the comforter from off of his lower body, completely exposing his naked body. He sighed deeply fore he turned around on the bed. He was a little surprised at to how tired he was. He didn't think that sex would be _this _exhausting. But then again, it _was_his first time, so maybe this fatigue was a normal feeling. Drowsiness began to set in as Ken'Ichi's eyelids began to grow heavier.

After a few long moments, Ken'Ichi bolted up in surprise when he heard the door swing open and hit the wall with a loud _**SLAM!**_

To his complete and utter shock, he saw a swarm of his classmates rushing into the room and begin to point at him and laugh their heads off. Some even had their phones out and began to take pictures and record the whole scene. Ken'Ichi quickly and frantically grabbed the comforter to cover himself. "What the hell?" Ken'Ichi screamed in anger and confusion.

"Oh my god!" one girl laughed.

"Wow, someone's got a little problem!" one guy said between laughs.

"Hey Ken'Ichi, did Loly use a strap-on or what?" another guy said. He was actually laughing so hard, he began to cry.

Without a word, Ken'Ichi hectically wrapped himself with the comforter, grabbed whatever clothes he saw lying on the floor and ran past the roaring crowd of laughing teens. He ran out of the room only to be greeted by more laughing kids, some with their phones out, recording and taking pictures.

Running past them, Ken'Ichi looked down the stairs to see Loly (fully dressed), Menoly, and his arch-nemesis Menis all standing in front of a wide-screen TV. In that same moment, the front door creeped open and a certain white-haired boy walk into the living room. Ken'Ichi stood between a rock and a hard place; he was still standing near the laughing teens at the top floor, but he didn't want Toshiro, who was at the bottom floor, to see him.

The first thing that Toshiro noticed was Loly, Menoly, and Menis standing in front of a large-screened TV. "What's going on? Where's Ken'Ichi?"

"Figures you would want to know." Loly sniped. Menoly and Menis walked over to the foot of the stairs. Menis walked up and opened the door to the bathroom that was in front of the staircase and swung it open, revealing a now partially naked Ken'Ichi, who had only managed to put on his black and red checkered boxers.

Toshiro looked over from the bottom of the stairs and stared at Ken'Ichi with an confused look on his face. "Ken'Ichi? What're you doing?"

Ken'Ichi's heart began to race at the sight of his white-haired lover, which evolked an obnoxious laugh from Menis. Ignoring Menis, Ken'Ichi ran past them both and ran down the stairs to head for the front door, with Toshiro closely following. As he descended down the stairs, he heard Menis shout "Your butt-crack is showing" before erupting into laughter.

"Ken! What is going on?"

"I can't talk now. Can we just- Loly, what is this?" Both boys awkwardly paused at the pigtailed girl standing near them. "Loly, did you tell them about us?"

"Us?" Toshiro raised an eyebrow. Ken'Ichi sighed when he quickly realized that his other was standing right next to him.

"HEY!" Loly yelled. "EVERYBODY! Ken'Ichi and Toshiro have an announcement to make. Guys?"

Toshiro and Ken'Ichi gave each other a quick glance at each other, Toshiro looking almost dumbfounded and Ken'Ichi looking completely panicked. A sudden and cold realization hit Ken'Ichi when he registered what Loly was trying to get across. But, how? She couldn't have found out about _that_, could she?

"Loly, no." Ken'Ichi begged her, clasping his hands together. "Please don't do this."

Loly responded with a fake-happy grin. "Aww they're too modest. So I'll help spread the joy." Loly then took the remote from off a nearby table and pressed the play button on it. In the split second that the TV switched on, the jaws of Ken'Ichi, Toshiro, and several others drop and their eyes widened to the size of Frisbees.

What they saw were fingers running ramped across each other's skin. Tongues caressing the far corners of each other's mouths. Lips locked deeply within each other. Lips belonging to Toshiro and Ken'Ichi.

Ken'Ichi, Toshiro, and several of the other kids were in complete disbelief. Ken'Ichi and Toshiro's hearts dropped down to the floors as floods of laughs and oohs and mutters and whispers invaded the room. Toshiro covered his mouth with shock as he stared at what was supposed to be an intimate moment with Ken'Ichi- on TV- in front of the student body.

"That's right, " Loly shouted, pointing to Ken'Ichi. "Like fathers, like son. Irrefutable proof that homosexuality is hereditary."

Ken'Ichi stood frozen and watched in horror at what was going on. He wanted to believe that this was all a horrible nightmare, but he knew that there was going to be no alarm clock to wake him from this bad dream.

"B-But... I'm not- gay! we-we had sex just now! You and me, Loly!" Ken'Ichi defended, finally breaking his horrified silence.

"You're right! And the thing is, you had the nerve to date him behind my back."

Toshiro looked over to Ken'Ichi. "Is this true? We're you dating me and her at the same time?"

All of Ken'Ichi secrets had been thrown out into the open. He knew that he better stop his lying and face up to this one.

"Yes."

Fighting back tears, Toshiro slowly backed away from Ken'Ichi, too hurt and pissed off to even say anything. A sound of crashing thunder came down, indicating that the rain would soon follow, if not already.

"Fags! Fags! Fags!" Menis and Menoly began to chat from the stairs. Everyone else began to join into the chat, the house echoing with the hateful word and the crowd of people almost circling the two boys.

Without another word, Toshiro ran away, the chat of 'fag' growing louder and chasing after him before a roar of laughter filled the room. Ken'Ichi stood with tears in his eyes as he stared angrily at his now former girlfriend.

"What's wrong? Gonna cry like a gay bitch?" Loly taunted.

"H-How could you?"

"How could _I_? I _asked _you if there was anything going on, and you said no! I asked twice! You did this to yourself!"

Ken'Ichi began to seethe with anger before he spat, "FUCK YOU!"

"Fuck _me_? We already played that game, sweetheart, and you lost! You couldn't even fuck a _dog_, let alone a girl!" another roar of laughter surrounded the room. "You're the faggot everyone says you are! An impotent, lying, gay, FUCKING FAGGOT! Just like the rest of your family!"

"Queer'Ichi! Queer'Ichi!" a new chat formulated throughout the room, with Loly joining in. Ken'Ichi felt like he was going to throw up. It all felt like a horrible dream. What he tried so hard to maintain for years, it was destroyed in five minutes.

"You wanna act like a bitch? Go chase after your man, Queer'Ichi!" Loly taunted, pointed at the door. "BTW, you might wanna go get tested. I've rode a more than a few horses without a saddle, if you catch my drift."

The taunting. The laughing. The humiliation. The pain. It was all too much to handle. Ken'Ichi let out a loud and angry cry before he ran out of the house. The "Queer'Ichi! Queer'Ichi!" chanting was fading into the house as Ken'Ichi sped out into the pouring rain with nothing but his boxers on.

* * *

Toshiro opened and slammed the door of his house, startling his aunt, Rangiku, who was in the kitchen. He leaned his back against the door and banged his head in anger and frustration. He felt humiliated, hurt, and taken advantage of. He felt like a fool for believing all the things Ken'Ichi said. He was nothing but a lying, no-good, insecure jackass and he felt stupid for thinking that there could've been more to him then that.

Maybe it was a mistake to move her after all. He should've been at home where his sick grandmother is. And he never felt more homesick and anxious to leave then at that moment. Toshiro sunk down to the floor and buried his head in his arms and silently sobbed. He shivered slightly as he had been running in the pouring rain for what seemed like minutes.

"Honey, are you okay?" Rangiku asked, concerned. "Oh dear, you're soaking wet." She walked back into the kitchen and came back out a few minutes later with a big, blue towel. She tried to cover him, but he snatched the towel from her, got up from off the floor and waddled away.

"Toshiro-kun! Come back!"

"No!"

Toshiro, tell me what's wrong-!"

"No!"

Just then, a knock banged on the door. Toshiro stood in place as he realized who it probably was, even though he was hoping that it wasn't. Rangiku opened the door slightly only to have the door pushed open and a boy who was pratically naked waddle inside. He was soaked wet to the core from the rain outside, and the only article of clothing that he had on was his red and black checkered boxers, which were also dripping wet.

Toshiro rolled his eyes; didn't want to stick around for whatever he had to say, and began to walk away. Ken'Ichi wasn't even worth his breath.

"Toshiro, please!" Ken'Ichi begged, his voice breaking up.

"What?" Toshiro angrily spun around to face the boy, upset that his revelation had already been broken.

Ken'Ichi's voice was breaking with every word he said. "I was wrong, okay?"

"Ken-"

"No, just let me finish, okay? I'm sorry about what happened with Loly, I'm sorry about all the lies, and I'm sorry I'm probably the biggest insecure hypocrite in the world!"

"What do you mean 'hypocrite?'"

"Everything's so complicated with me. My gay parents make everything complicated! And with my dad cheating on my other dad last year, I swore that I wouldn't be like that! But then I met you and things just- things- I-I-I-I'm sorry, okay? I-I'm- just sorry!" Without another word, Ken'Ichi ran back out of the house and back into the rain. Toshiro stood in the hall of his home registering what Ken'Ichi had just said.

"Oh wow." Rangiku slowly closed the door. "Um, Toshiro, if you want to go after him and talk..."

The white-haired boy took a deep breath. He did feel a genuine sense of regret from Ken'Ichi, but it still wasn't good enough to him.

"No. I'm done."

"Done thinking?"

Toshiro had nothing to say to Ken'Ichi. Not anymore.

"No, I'm just... done."

* * *

**_Two days later..._**

The day had finally come.

Ichigo, Minoru, and Tetsuya stood side by side and faced the large Mexican man that stood before them inside if the Karakura airport. The not-so-distant sound of planes were heard taking flight and the sound of travelers making there way were the only sounds that were heard around them. An awkward silence surrounded them, as well as a somber feeling. Nonetheless, Chad wanted to make this good-bye count.

_Remember all the things we wanted_  
_Now all our memories they're haunted_  
_We were always meant to say goodbye_

Tetsuya was the first one Chad wanted to say good-bye to. He walked over and kneeled in front of him, although Tetsuya still had to tilt his head almost all the way just to look up at him.

"I want you to be a good boy, okay?" chad patted his youngest son the head and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead.

Tetsuya nodded and ran into his father's embrace. Tetsuya felt so safe and so secure when he was with Chad. Now that he was leaving, where was he going to find that sense of security? The toddler tried to fight back tears, but they still streamed down his face regardless. Tetsuya then let go of his father to wipe his watery eyes.

_Even with our fists held high_  
_It never would've worked out right_  
_We were never meant for do or die_

Chad looked over to Minoru and without a word, embraced him tightly. Minoru responded by wrapping his arms around his father in return. He tightly held him to the point of almost squeezing him, as if he was afraid to let go.

"I'm so sorry... for everything." Chad whispered. Chad knew that so many of Minoru's problems were because of him, including leaving for California. Minoru may not have understood it right there and then, but Chad figured that with him gone, maybe Minoru can finally get his life back together.

_I didn't want us to burn out_  
_I didn't come here to hold you, now I can't stop_

Chad stood up and looked at his orange-haired partner with confusion. He saw Ichigo, but no sign of Ken'Ichi. "Where's Ken'Ichi?"

"...He was too bummed out. He thought it was too painful to come." Ichigo responded. Chad lowered his head slightly in disappointment. While he had hoped for Ken'Ichi to come with the rest of the family, he understand why he didn't, considering everything he had put that boy through. He had turned his attention to the orange haired man.

_I want you to know that it doesn't matter_  
_Where we take this road someone's gotta go_  
_And I want you to know you couldn't have loved me better_  
_But I want you to move on so I'm already gone_

The two locked eyes for a few long moments, expressing the things that they couldn't say out loud. Through their eyes, they both had expressed their disappointment, their hurt, confusion, and their unwillingness to actually go through with this. However, their feelings of bitterness and resentment had kept them from saying what they wanted to say, like 'I love you' or 'I'll miss you'.

_Looking at you makes it harder_  
_But I know that you'll find another_  
_That doesn't always make you want to cry_

"Um, I'm sorry." Chad finally broke the awkward silence. "I don't even remember why I did what I did, but it wasn't worth this."

"...Sure you didn't." Ichigo sarcastically replied.

They had both remembered all too clearly of that horrible fight a year before, after Ichigo had found out of Chad's unfaithfulness. They had remembered how hurt and anger Ichigo was, and how their once-happy family was torn to shreds.

_Started with a perfect kiss then we could feel the poison set in_  
_Perfect couldn't keep this love alive_

"I know it's gonna take a long time to get over all the fights, the lies, and all the horrible things we said to each other..."

"You're gonna miss your flight." Ichigo interrupted. His voice was cold and stoic.

_You know that I love you so, I love you enough to let you go_

Chad cringed slightly at Ichigo, but he understood where he came from. After everything that Chad had put his family through, he felt that this was to be his retribution. Despite this, he felt that he couldn't let things end like this. He felt that there were so many things left unsaid. But, chad had no choice but to throw it into the backseat and move on.

_I want you to know that it doesn't matter_  
_Where we take this road someone's gotta go_  
_And I want you to know you couldn't have loved me better_  
_But I want you to move on so I'm already gone_

"Good-bye, everyone." Chad picked up his duffle bag and waved good-bye to his family one last time before he turned around and headed towards the luggage area. Minoru and Tetsuya sadly waved good-bye while Ichigo stood in silence and regret withhis walking cane, watching the only man he ever loved walk away from his life. When he felt tears dripping down his face, Ichigo loweed his head and covered his eyes with one hand. concerned, Minoru and Tetsuya tugged at their father's shirt.

_I'm already gone, already gone_  
_You can't make it feel right when you know that it's wrong_  
_I'm already gone, already gone_  
_There's no moving on so I'm already gone_

"Daddy, are you okay?" Minoru asked.

"Dad?" Tetsuya said.

Ichigo tried to fake a smile but couldn't do it and broke down in tears. Minoru and Tetsuya both hugged their father and tried to comfort him.

_Already gone, already gone, already gone_  
_Already gone, already gone, already gone, yeah_

"I don't want him to go." Ichigo revealed, crying. Minoru and Tetsuya could only hold him tighter at this revelation.

"I know." Minoru said. "I know. But I'm here and Tetsuya's here and Ken'Ichi's here and we're not going anywhere. I'm not going anywhere."

"Okay." Ichigo responded, hugging his two kids in return. He thought that he and Chad were doing the right thing, so why did it hurt _this_ bad?

_Remember all the things we wanted_  
_Now all our memories they're haunted_  
_We were always meant to say goodbye_

_I want you to know that it doesn't matter_  
_Where we take this road someone's gotta go_  
_And I want you to know you couldn't have loved me better_  
_But I want you to move on so I'm already gone_

_I'm already gone, already gone_  
_You can't make it feel right when you know that it's wrong_  
_I'm already gone, already gone_  
_There's no moving on so I'm already gone_

_'Bye, Chad.'_

* * *

Boarding the plane, Chad couldn't ignore that in his heart, he was once again making the wrong decision. He and Ichigo were so sure about this and this was what was best, so why wasn't that enough?

_'Bye, Ichigo.'_

Ignoring the turbulence from the plane taking off, Chad looked out of the window and looked back out on the airport that was gradually getting smaller and smaller. He lowered and shook his head, trying to fight back his tears. He knew this would be the right thing to do, it still hurt all the same.

After a few long moments, he pulled out his cell phone to try and call his agent in L.A. However, he then felt a soft hand touch his shoulder. He looked to see a young woman withblue eyes and tied back blonde hair wearing a blue stewardess uniform.

"I'm sorry sir, but you're going to have to put away your cell phone." the stewardess kindly said with a smile.

Chad nodded in response. "Yes, sorry. Um, do I have time to go to the bathroom?"

"Sure the ones up front are open."

"Thanks." Chad stood up from his seat, only to nearly jump when he hear a very familiar voice from behind him.

"The one back here's open."

Chad turned around and could only stare in shock at the fourteen-year old brown haired boy standing in the back, right in front of the curtains. A boy who he thought didn't want to say good-bye to him. The same boy who didn't even show up at the airport with the rest of the family.

"Ken'Ichi?"

The boy grinned sheepishly in response. "Hey, dad."

* * *

**Please R&R and the next chapter will be up soon!**


	25. Dig Me Out

**Chapter 25**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

**There are a few more chapters left, so please enjoy!**

* * *

"Hello? Ken! Come out! We're back!" Ichigo said as he entered into his home with Minoru carrying a sleeping Tetsuya. Ichigo had put down groceries he had bought on the way home from the airport next to the legs of the dining table and went into the hallway.

"Ken'Ichi!" Ichigo called. He repeated his son's name a few more times as he searched through the rooms and the bathroom. It did strike Ichigo as odd; earlier Ken'Ichi told him that he wasn't feeling well enough to say good-bye to Chad. While he did remind him that no one knew when he was coming back, Ken'Ichi simply stayed completely hidden under his bedsheets and asked his father to send Chad his regards.

Speaking of Chad, he didn't think that it would hurt that bad to see Chad actually leave. But then again, they had been together for such a long time. They shared so many firsts together: their first kisses, their first time being "intimate", their first child, and they knew each other better than they knew themselves. Ichigo's mind convinced himself that it was the right thing to do, but his heart was plaguing him, telling him that things shouldn't have ended that way. But it didn't matter now, Chad was already gone.

"Daddy! Come quick!"

Ichigo's thoughts were interrupted and he made his way back to the living room to see Tetsuya sleeping on the couch and Minoru standing next to the dining table holding a letter.

"It's from Ken'Ichi" was all the boy had muttered before he handed the letter over to his father.

As Ichigo read through the contents, his eyes grew wider and wider with shock and his hands began to shake with anger.

_Daddy,_

_By the time you get this, I'll probably already be gone._

_Please forgive me for leaving so suddenly, but this isn't something that I can simply talk to dad on the phone with. I've made alot of mistakes in the past few weeks, and going to California with dad is the only chance I have to make things right again. _

_I won't go into details, but let's just say that he's the only one that can and will understand._

_When I come back, I'll gracefully and willingly accept any punishment that you might have waiting for me._

_I hate to leave you and my brothers, but I have to do this-there's a part of Ken'Ichi Kurosaki-Sado that I'm now willing to accept and embrace._

_And there's a great guy who deserves to know the truth._

_Love, your son, Ken'Ichi._

_P.S-Don't blame dad. He doesn't know._

* * *

Los Angeles. One of the most famous cities in the world. The so-called "Entertainment Capital of the World". Chad had heard so many stories about Hollywood and how this was one of the most ideal places in the world to make it big. The beautiful scenery, the palm trees just outside the airport, the warm breeze, and even the blue stretch of ocean that appeared not too far from the airport. A beautiful new scenery with a new opportunity for Chad to do something he actually enjoys. What could possibly go wrong?

The answer was standing right next to him as Chad was trying to reach Ichigo on his cell phone from the airport lobby.

"Yeah, he's here with me." Chad told Ichigo, who was on the other line. Ken'Ichi could then see his father pull the phone away from his ear as he heard some indistinct shouting from the other end andt it didn't take a genius to figure out that Ichigo was upset, to say the very least.

"Okay, you know what? He's already here and it's supposed to be spring break for them anyway, so how about he just spends a couple of days here with me." Ken'Ichi then heard some quiet mumbling from the other end. It must've have worked, as Chad simply replied "okay, bye" and hung up.

Although Ichigo loved all his kids equally, as long as he could remember (and at least before Tetsuya was adopted), Ken'Ichi had always been Ichigo's favorite and he was a little more spoiled by Ichigo then Minoru was. But this time, he wouldn't blame Ichigo for being angry, even at him. "So, how is he?"

Chad sighed. "I'm not gonna lie. Ichigo's pissed, Ken." Ken'Ichi shook his head in understanding. Ken'Ichi had done his share of childish things in the past, but he had never pulled off anything like this before. Ken'Ichi wasn't expecting his orange-haired father to just simply be okay with. He actually almost hoping to lose his cool.

"Boy, is he gonna whip out the 'welcome home' parade when I come back." Ken'Ichi remarked sarcastically.

"Hmph, he's gonna whip something, all right." Chad chuckled. The only response Chad got was a uncomfortable chuckle from his son.

* * *

Ken'Ichi and Chad looked in awe through the window as they drove in a stretch hummer limo through the streets of Los Angeles. The gorgeous and clean streets whizzed by them as well as some famous landmarks, like the Kodak Theatre, and the Chinese Theatre. They could even see the Hollywood sign not too far on the other side.

"This place is almost breathtaking." Ken'Ichi said quietly as he kept his focus out on the streets. "I really like it here."

"Yeah, this is nice." Chad agreed.

Chad's eyes then shifted to his son, who was still completely fixated on the sights L.A had to offer. Although this was completely unexpected and while he did think Ken'Ichi would be a burden, he had to admit that it was nice to bond like this with his oldest son. Chad had really missed the times when he would share the whole day with his boys, especially Ken'Ichi. Things between the two had really been strained ever since Ken'Ichi found out about Chad's infidelity a year ago, but now that it was just the two of them in a completely new city in a completely new country, they both able to get away from their problems and frustrations (at least for the moment) and reconnect again.

"So Ken, what was so important that you had to sneak on a plane without a word to anyone just to tell me?"

Ken'Ichi lowered his eyes from the windows and the glimmer in his eyes that shined from the excitement and amusement quickly faded away. As great as things were for that moment, Ken'Ichi couldn't lose sight on what he had came here for.

"I really messed things up back home, dad."

"Okay, that's a start."

"And I knew that you would be the only one to understand, because... of what happened last year."

Chad raised an eyebrow slightly in curiosity and surprise. He had a vague and familiar feeling of where this was going, although he wanted to believe _that _wasn't the case.

* * *

Ken'Ichi and Chad were walking along the shore of the beach, letting their bare feet feel the sand and the cool tide. An hour had passed and Ken'Ichi told his father his whole story. From the very first day he laid eyes on Toshiro to the first kiss he shared with him. From Dan's resentment of Toshiro all the way to that disastrous night just a few days ago and what Loly did to him. From his growing feelings for Toshiro to his growing distance from Loly and his friends. All the lies, the secrets, the deception, the betrayal, and the cheating, especially the cheating, was now poured out in front of Chad for him to see.

"Wow." That was all Chad could see. Wow. He was surprised that all of this had happened and Ken'Ichi mananed to keep it under wraps for such a while. "So, that's how it all happened, eh?"

"Dad, I screwed up so bad. It's like I couldn't have handled it any worse if I tried." What really tip things for the boy was the look on Toshiro's face when he found out. He was so hurt and crushed. It broke Ken'Ichi's heart to see him that way. That was what was hitting him the hardest. "You should've seen the look on Toshiro's face. He hates me. Everyone hates me."

Ken'Ichi then felt a strong hand softly pat him on the shoulder. "I don't. And neither does anyone else."

"Oh yeah? Try telling that to Toshiro, Loly, Menoly, Menoly, Dan, and the rest of the student population." Ken'Ichi began to feel tears forming in his eyes, but he stubbornly refused to let them fall. Despite this, he began to choke up. "I've lost my reputation, my girlfriend, my best friend, ... and my... my b-boyfriend..."

"Ken, you're only 14. Believe me, you were just confused was all. You wanted to like Loly, but yet, you couldn't fight these feelings for Toshiro. Kinda like me with Ichigo and Nova." Chad remembered a few years back how although he was with Ichigo, he eventually fell for Nova, hurting his family for those next two years because of it.

"I couldn't choose. I didn't-I didn't want to. I tried to eat my cake and have it too, and now it's spilled all over my lap."

"It's okay for you to have been confused, but you have to choose now. It doesn't matter, it shouldn't matter if you're in love with a girl or a guy, it matters whether you were happy. So who did you feel happier with?"

Toshiro. He instantly answered that question in his head. "...You think I should go talk to him?"

"I think... you should do whatever you wanna do."

"I feel like I can't just leave it like this." Ken'Ichi sat down on the soft and Chad sat closely next to him. "What would you-what did you do when... Ichigo found out?"

It was painful to rethink of that night and all the horrible things they had said to one another, but it didn't take Chad long to remember everything from that scenario.

"Well, I thought the same thing. I didn't want things to end the way it did, but I also thought about how angry was he and how hurt he was, and... how I should just wait and let him come to me."

"How long do I have to wait?"

"But then again, sometimes waiting isn't good enough. You have to be assertive to get the things you want. Maybe that's what I lacked in getting your father back." Chad then stood up from the ground, ignoring the sand on the back of his pants. "Not everyone's gonna like you. Sometimes, you really have to choose. Sometimes you can't have it both ways. Believe me, I learned that the very hard way."

"But what do I do now? I mean, how do I fix things?"

"Start by telling the following your heart to the person you love, and you know who that is."

Chad was met with a sudden and unexpected embrace from his son. Ken'Ichi's hands gripped slightly tighter on his father as he felt strong hands wrap around him as well.

Despite everything they went through, they both needed this. They both missed this.

In that moment for the first time in over a year, Chad and Ken'Ichi felt like an actual father and son again.

* * *

_**A week later...**_

"Toshiro?" Rangiku called for her nephew. She walked into his open room to see him folding his clothes into a large black duffle bag.

"Where are you going?"

"I can tell you where I'm leaving."

"Are you going home?" Rangiku said with a slight sense of relief in her voice. "To see your grandma in the hospital?"

Toshiro gave his aunt a rather cold and distant glare before answering "...I've decided to stay elsewhere."

"What? Where?" Rangiku asked somewhat incredulously. She was the only family Toshiro had out here in KaraKura Town. Where else-who else could he go to stay with?

"...Uncle Shima. There's a holdout couch in his apartment."

"Shima! He lives all the way in Gifu! Why do you wanna go there?"

"Because life here sucks!" Toshiro angrily threw a folded shirt into his bag, followed by a careless toss of two pairs of jeans.

"Great, Toshiro!" Rangiku sarcastically remarked. "Avoid one drama in your life because of another one, huh?"

Toshiro threw another pair of trousers into his bag when he realized who she was talking about. "There's no drama with Ken'Ichi and me! I'd hafta care for there to be something at all!"

"You're running away from all your problems! Be a man a face up to them!"

"I _am _a man, first of all." Toshiro coldly corrected. "And besides, after what happened at that party, I want nothing to do with him anymore and that includes being in the same town as him!"

Rangiku sighed a defeated breath. "That's not the point. whenever something beyond your control happens, you wanna pack up and leave first chance you get!"

"That's not it!"

"Then why don't you want to see your dying grandmother, huh?"

Toshiro opened his mouth, but words to justify himself wouldn't come out. All that followed was a defeated breath. "...All I want is for someone to not judge me, and believe me, the last thing I need right now is a relationship."

"Okay, fine, I'm sorry." Rangiku said in complete defeat. "I promise I won't mention your grandmother again. It's just... Toshiro, I think you're really gonna regret it if you don't go see her!" Rangiku was pratically begging her nephew now, but it apparently fell on death ears, as Toshiro ignored her and continued to pack up his stuff, much to her frustration.

"Fine, I give up." Rangiku threw her hands up to total defeat and left the entrance to his room.

A few long moments passed before Toshiro's cell phone began to ring. He walked over to his desk to see that it was Momo.

_'Dammit' _Toshiro thought. As if his aunt wasn't enough, he was getting sick and tired of her always calling him every one or two days to try and convince him to come back to Nagasaki. Despite this, he answered the phone with a dull 'hello'.

This time, however, was different. She wasn't concerned. She sounded angry.

_"Toshiro Hitsuguya, your grandmother is on her deathbed and you're in complete denial, still? What kind of grandson are you? She's been calling your name for days! Don't you care?"_

"Of course I care!" Toshiro replied incredously. "How could you even ask me that?"

The dial tone on the other end was the only response that he got.

"H-Hello? Momo?" Toshiro checked his phone. She had hung up on him.

Toshiro's breaths began louder and more agitated and tears began to fill his eyes as he threw the phone on the floor and rushed out of the room. He looked around to see if Rangiku was around. She wasn't. Walking slowly to the kitchen cabinet, he opened it to reveal a bottom of whiskey. Taking one more quick glance around, Toshiro snatched the bottle out and headed outside. He had to get this off of his mind.

* * *

Toshiro stumbled around the sidewalk, taking a pained sip of alcohol every four or five steps. He had continued this pattern for half an hour before he walked into a tree and leaned against it. He let out a troubled and pained sigh before he drank the remaining alcoholic liquids.

Not only was Toshiro's vision blurred from the whiskey, he felt tears further obscuring his vision. He closed his eyes and tried to relinquish himself of his worries and troubles. At least for that moment.

Until a familiar voice went through his ears.

"We, uh, need to talk."

Toshiro opened his eyes to see Ken'Ichi standing before him. It had been over a week since the party, but Toshiro remembered it clearly is if it was only five minutes ago. However, he was too slugged from the liquor to curse him out.

"You okay?" Ken'Ichi asked concerned.

"What do you want, Kurosaki? Or Sado? Whatever, what do you want?" Toshiro hazily asked.

Ken'Ichi looked down to his shoes, apparently trying to figure out the right thing to say. "Um, that's just it. I don't know what I what. Or at least, I didn't know."

Toshiro let out an irritated sigh. "Why don't you start making sense."

"...So I have this life here in KaraKura town and it's, uh, it's pretty perfect. Good home, awesome family, good school, great friends, great girlfriend."

Toshiro smirked sarcastically. "Yeah, right."

"...And then, out of the blue you show up, and suddenly, everything doesn't seem so simple anymore-"

"Because that's what I do, huh! I mess up people's lives!" Toshiro barked in an upset and drunken daze.

Ken'Ichi shook his head and replied "No, Toshiro-"

"You are so selfish! You don't think of anyone else! You don't care if you hurt people or not, you only care what you want! You only see your pain! And then, when things go wrong, you do a 180 and blame everyone else! It's always someone else's fault with you, isn't it!"

"No, Toshiro..."

"You know what? Stay away from me, because you'll be-you'll be alot better off." Grabbing the empty bottle of whiskey, Toshiro pushed past Ken'Ichi and ran away, not caring that he couldn't really see.

Scrambling back on his feet, Ken'Ichi chased after him.

* * *

Half an hour past as Ken'Ichi ran around town trying to find Toshiro. He had been wandering around aimlessly for minutes trying to find him. He didn't mean to make him upset like that. Toshiro didn't even let him finish! He had to try and explain himself again. He had spent the plane ride back home trying to find the right words and the moment he looked at him, his mind went blank.

"Oh my god! He's be killed!"

Ken'Ichi heard the voice of a woman before he then heard a gathering crowd murmuring and then finally shouting.

"Hey, someone get that kid off that roof!" one man said.

"He's trying to kill himself!" another man said.

"Call the fire brigade!" another woman said.

Ken'Ichi had already ran up to the gathering crowd of concerned civilians when he looked at the fairly tall building that everyone was staring up at and gasped in horror when he saw acertain white-haired boy holding an empty liquor bottle standing on the edge of the roof. He couldn't really get a good look at Toshiro's face, but he looked as if he was sobbing.

Without another thought, Ken'Ichi ran through the growing crowd and ran into the building.

* * *

Toshiro stood at the edge of the roof, crying freely to the point where he was hyperventilating. Feeling his anger and bitterness grow stronger yet again, he averted his gaze and looked at the buildings of Karakura Town, and saw the crowd of people underneath him begging him not to jump and that help was on the way. He responded only with a loud curse and threw the empty whiskey bottle down to the crowd, to which they ran back to let the bottle shatter on the ground and regrouped back surrounding the broken shards.

"Toshiro!"

The white-haired boy turned his head to see Ken'Ichi standing about ten feet behind him.

"Toshiro, what are you doing?"

"I'm a coward, Ken!" he sobbed. "I'm a selfish coward! She's literally dying to see me one more time, and I'm too scared to even go back!" Toshiro then took another small step onto the ledge, much to the crowd below's dismay. "I just feel like dirt, Ken... I'm lower than that!"

"No! No, you're not! Whatever it is that's going on, you can fix it!"

"No I can't!" Toshiro turned his whole body around to face Ken'Ichi.

"Yes you can!" Ken'Ichi reassured.

"How? How can I fix it?"

"Start by trusting me!" Ken'Ichi stretched his hand out to pull Toshiro back to safety, but Toshiro sadly shook his head, turned back around, and took small baby steps further out unto the ledge, the air being the only space. the next step would be his last.

With a very deep breath, Toshiro closed his eyes and walked off the edge of the roof. He heard the massive uproar of people screaming, until he felt a pair of hands grab him in midair and yank him back onto the ground of the roof. Toshiro began to sub even harder then before, to Ken'Ichi's confusion.

"What were you thinking?" Ken'Ichi screamed in a misture of worry, concern, and anger.

"I'm fine!" Toshiro choked up.

Ken'Ichi grabbed the white-haired boy and held him close. It couldn't have been just about what had happened between them a week ago. Something else must've have been going on.

"Wait a minute." Ken'Ichi pulled Toshiro far enough to face him. "Who's dying?"

* * *

**Please R&R and the next chapter will be up soon!**


	26. ABC's Of Growing Up

**Chapter 26**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

**Thanks to everyone for the support! I really appreciate it so much!**

**Please enjoy!**

* * *

The front of the building where Toshiro had nearly fell off was now surrounded by cops the sound of police sirens echoed through the streets. The pedestrians who had witnessed the suicide attempt and others who just wanted to know what was going on stood by the sides so that they wouldn't get in the way of the scene. One of had called the

From the entrance of the building came Toshiro being carried out on a strecter to an ambulance truck with Ken'Ichi following right behind.

"Hey kid, you're in our way. Stand back." one of the paramedics said to Ken'Ichi as they loaded Toshiro into the ambulance truck. As the paramedics loaded the white-haired boy into the truck, one of them rudely pushed Ken'Ichi back.

"No you don't understand! I'm his friend. I saved him back there!" Ken'Ichi pleaded.

"Oh my god! Toshiro!"

Ken'Ichi and paramedics turned their attention to a beautiful woman with long and wavy strawberry blonde hair running up to the truck.

"Is he okay? I need the-"

"Whoa, wait a minute. How did you get past the cops?" the worker asked.

Rangiku smirked a slightly naughty smirk in response and pushed up her brassiere while striking a fairly risque pose. "When you look as good as I do, the word 'no' does... not... exist." Rangiku heatedly replied in lustful breaths as she began to rub up against the man's arm.

Her tactic apparantly worked, as both Ken'Ichi and all of the paramedics tending to Toshiro glowed pink blushes and stared in jaw dropped awe at her.

* * *

"You should probably get going, Ken." Rangiku advised. "Your father is probably worried sick."

Ken'Ichi and Rangiku both stood in a nearby waiting room at the hospital, just next to the room where Toshiro was resting. The doctors insured them that he was fine and that all he needed was some rest and to sleep off the alcohol.

"Actually, my dad works here." Ken'Ichi pointed out. "He should be here so I'll just stay here until he leaves."

Rangiku smiled and responded "thank you". She then pulled the boy close in a warm embrace, much to Ken'Ichi's amusement. She could feel her extremely large breasts pressed against his chest as he tried to hid his growing blush on his cheekd, as well as a growing something somewhere else.

"I'm gonna get some coffee." Rangiku then walked out of the room.

Ken'Ichi stood alone in the waiting room for a few minutes before he caught a glimpse of a nurse walking coming out of Toshiro's room.

"Uh, excuse me?" Ken'Ichi said, walking up to her. "Can I go in to check on my friend?"

"Um, okay, but he's asleep, so try not to disturb him." the nurse replied. Ken'Ichi nodded and walked into the room. He looked at the white-haired boy who laid peacefully sleeping on a hospital bed. Ken'Ichi knew all too well what it was like to be in a hospital, from his family's history in the medical field as well as his own personal experiences. Uncertain what was gonna happen next, just the overall feeling of insecurity and fear that hung over hospitals and made it so terrifying to be in it.

Ken'Ichi walked over to the empty chair that sat next to him. Although he tried not to make a sound, Toshiro opened his eyes and saw him.

The two stared at each other for a few moments before Toshiro shook his head and just sighed. "I... don't even know what to say."

"Sleep's probably the best thing for right now."

"No." Toshiro couldn't avoid his feelings any more. He had to let it off his chest. "I'm sorry for acting like such an ass earlier."

"Believe me, I'm the one that should be saying that." Ken'Ichi awkwardly chuckled. "I've been... just falling all over the place, not caring who I ram into in the process. And lot of what you said was true."

"No. No, it wasn't." Toshiro shook his head, trying hard to fight back tears. "I don't know what I was thinking." Toshiro could'veeasily blamed his words and actions on the alcohol that did cloud his judgement, but he knew subconsciously why he did it. "Despite what It looked like, I honestly really wasn't trying to... kill myself."

"I know." Ken'Ichi took Toshiro hand in his hand as the white-haired boy took in a teary breath. "Your aunt, um, told me about... your grandmother."

Toshiro nodded in response. He couldn't just push this off any longer. He had to talk about it and deal with it. Time was running out to do that.

"I should probably go see her, right?" Toshiro didn't even realize that a single tear was now streaming down his face as he thought of his grandmother.

Ken'Ichi grip tightened on Toshiro's hand. "When you're ready."

"Ready or not, her clock is ticking." Toshiro took a deep breath. "...It-It's just that I've always had control over the things in my life. Whether it was helping my friends, or my aunt, I've always been able to fix things, no matter how hard it was." As Toshiro remembered the condition his grandmother was in, Toshiro shuted his eyes and more tears fell down his face. "My grandmother has cancer, and It's spreading. She has only a few months left, and-and I _know _I can't fix that." Toshiro's voice began to break as he thought of how much pain his grandmother must've been in and how terrible he felt.

"No one expects you to."

Toshiro nodded in response as he wiped away his tears with his free hand. "She, Rangiku, and my half-cousin Momo are the only family I have left.I want to see her, of course, but I just don't know what to do or say or act. Things are alot different now."

"I do know what that's like, to not have control over something and I hate that feeling. But take it from me, you shouldn't let fear and pride keep you from who you love. I learned that these past few weeks." Ken'Ichi blushed as he took a quick breath. Toshiro stared at the other boy in slight desbelief. "Are... you serious?"

Ken'Ichi smiled and nodded in response. "Look, after you sleep, I'll go get you some watermelon. If you can survive that, then we'll take the next step from there, okay?"

Toshiro smiled at the other boy and clasped his other hand with his, realizing that he didn't have to face this on his own.

* * *

Ken'Ichi took a nervous while he stared at the double- doors into his middle school like they weren't familiar. Boy, was deja vu was setting a little too often for the guy. After what had happened at Loly's place about two and a half weeks earlier, he had made careful sure not to run into anyone from school, not even Hiyori and Lilynette, and damn sure not Menoly, Menis, and Loly. He and Dan still weren't talking to each other since he had blew him off for Toshiro. Alot of things weren't looking in his favor, and a part of him wanted to turn back around and leave.

But he then remembered the white-haired boy who was at home.

Ken'Ichi smiled at the mere thought of him and how he's getting ready to face his fears. If he could do that, Ken'Ichi could do this. With a long exhale, Ken'Ichi walked up the steps and pushed past the doors.

When he walked in, he almost immediately felt the eyes of some of his peers and overheard low murmers coming from all four corners of the halls as well.

It was different this time, though.

Last time, Ken'Ichi just thought that people were talking about him and how he with another guy. But this time, he knew they were. He could overhear some random guy shout "yo, Queer'Ichi!" to them as they continued to walk down the halls. The more voices he heard, the faster he walked and the more Ken'Ichi realized how destroyed his reputation actually was. Despite this, Ken'Ichi held his heads high and they continued to walk down the hallway to class.

* * *

There was a school assembly later that day in the auditorium. The auditorium was large enough to hold the entire student body and still have extra room. The assembly was something about the importance of students... doing something. Ken'Ichi wasn't paying any real attention to the assembly; he was too wrapped up in how uncomfortable he was, sitting in a room filled with his former friends. As he looked around, he still saw a few students snicker and laugh in his direction.

"Okay, are there any questions?" one of the sponsers asked. The young blonde man looked around to see any hands raise up.

Ken'Ichi took a wuick glance around to see if anyone was going to raise their hand. No one did.

Taking a deep breath, Ken'Ichi stood up.

"Uh, yes." the sponsor called on Ken'Ichi and asked him to come up on stage. Ken'Ichi stood up and walked up to the stage. He looked out at all of his peers, including Dan, Hiyori, Lilynette, Menis, Menoly, and Loly. He tried not to be nervous in front of them, but it was easier thought than done. Underneath the hot bright lights that shined on top of him, Ken'Ichi took the microphone from the sponser and took a preparatory breath.

"Um, I'm just gonna use this opportunity to go off-topic for a minute." Ken'Ichi gulped when he saw the kids murmur underneath him. "For the past few weeks, I have been living a double life." Ken'Ichi turned his attention to Loly, who had her arms crossed. Although it was obvious that she was still pissed, she still kept eye contact with him. "I've really hurt alot of people. People that really cared for me." Ken'Ichi then turned his attention to Dan, Hiyori, and Lilynette, who were all sitting in the same row. "I blew off my best friends. And one friend in particular that I can't really find anywhere else." Dan lowered his head from Ken'Ichi's view, although he thought that he saw a weak smile. "In general, I'm a real dumb-ass, for lack of a better word. I'm a hyporcrite, I'm selfish, I'm moody, self-centered, and impulsive." Ken'Ichi looked back over at Loly. "I'm so sorry the way you found out about everything and how I handled things, but don't you dare accuse me of not caring about you." Ken'Ichi's eyes shifted back to Dan. "Or you. I don't know why I do what I do sometimes, and I know it won't change the way I did things, but all I can say is that I'm really, truly, and genuinely... sorry."

Both Loly and Dan looked away from Ken'Ichi, with a somewhat sympathic look on both of their faces.

"But the one thing I'm not sorry for, is realizing who I am. I realized that I was happy with Toshiro Hitsugaya and that's kind of rare and whether it's gay, straight, bi, whatever… it's kind of worth investigating a little further of it's the right person. I'm not gonna say I'm flat-out gay, but I'm not straight or even bi, for that matter. I like who I like and I'm tired of labels."

By the time Ken'Ichi had finished his speech, he could feel the heat of everyone's eyes on him and he couldn't hear any other voice but his own. It almost felt like he was under surveillance; he could only hear his voice, yet he was being surrounded by the presence of hungry eyes. Even the sponsor was speechless.

Ken'Ichi sighed heavily and handed back to the sponsor and turned his back to the audience, ready to walk from them all. He had at least gotten what needed to say off of his chest. He couldn't just end things on the previous note, and while this one wasn't ideal, he at least had people listen to his perspective.

However, Ken'Ichi, who had reached the top of the stairs at just from the curtains, he froze at the sound of clapping.

The sound of a sole person clapping from in the audience.

Ken'Ichi turned back around to see Dan, standing up and clapping hard, to the point where his hands were red. Ken'Ichi couldn't help but smile at the sight of his best friend clapping for him.

And it only got better.

Hiyori than stood up and started clapping with Dan, quickly followed by Lilynette.

The small scattering of appluase was soon followed by the standing of a few other students, and then even more students, and more after that. Before long, the entire auditorium (minus Menoly, Menis, and Loly) were standing on their feet, and the small applause was now a sea of roaring applause fit for a king.

Ken'Ichi sighed an elated breath and thought that maybe, just maybe, he had finally did something right.

* * *

"Dan, I can't believe it." Ken'Ichi said to Dan as they walked together down the halls to their lockers. After Ken'Ichi poured himself out onstage earlier that day, Dan and Ken'Ichi had went on with their friendship as if nothing had ever happened. At least for that time being. "When are you leaving?"

"In a month." Dan replied. "My dad scored this awesome job in L.A. We'd be crazy to turn it down."

"A month? That's all the time I get to spend with my best friend?" Ken'Ichi sarcastically pouted which earned a laugh from Dan. When the two got to their lockers, they were surprised to see a raven-haired, pigtailed girl standing in front of them. All it took was a glance from Ken'Ichi for Dan to get the message and walk over to the other hall.

"Loly?"

"Hi, Kenny."

"You know what happened between me and you, the lies, the cheating, break up…I'm really sorry." Ken'Ichi took a step closer to her.

"Me too. More than anything in the world." Loly leaned in to kiss Ken'Ichi, but he backed away from her.

"But... It, it was the right thing to do. There was something missing with you and me."

Loly glanced at Ken'Ichi with disbelief. "I-I'm sorry about what I did. I've never had unprotected sex with all those guys. I only said that because Menoly and Menis told me too."

Ken'Ichi shook his head. "Regardless, I wasn't your first. I was far from that. I can't be with someone I don't trust. I'm sorry. I hope we can be friends."

Ken'Ichi figured to forget his locker. He would come back and get his stuff later. He sighed and began to walk away from a teary-eyed Loly.

"Ken'Ichi?"

The boy turned his head around his look one more time to look at his former girlfriend.

"What you said in the auditorium was 'Ichi, you were the first guy I slept with that I actually cared about."

Ken'Ichi turned his head and smiled to himself. No matter what his friends may have said about her, he really did care about her and he really did leave an impression on her after all. However, he knew that he had to put his health first and despite Loly's somewhat surprising revelation, he didn't give in and simply replied "bye, Loly."

Ken'Ichi then noticed Dan turn around the corner and catch up to him.

"So, what now?" Dan asked.

"I need to get tested." Ken'Ichi nervously chuckled.

* * *

Ichigo couldn't do it. Staring at the home that doubled as a clinic that he knew all too well from, he couldn't summon the courage to even knock on the front door. He had only managed to walk up to the front steps but just then, painful memories flashed through his mind, 15 years back when he came out to him about his relationship with Chad.

_"You're a disgraceful to this family!"_

_"If you wanna be with him, be with him! But don't think when he chews you up and spits you out, you'll come crawling back!"_

_"Pack all your shit and GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HOUSE!"_

Ichigo shook his head in an attempt to not even remember everything that was said. He had already lived it, and that was enough. He remembered only some of the painful and horrible things they said to one another, not wanting to think of the rest. Ever since then, Ichigo never came back and they had never reconciled.

_'I can't do this.'_ Ichigo decided. He quickly turned around, leaving the front of the house and making his way home.

"Ichigo?"

Ichigo froze at the familiar voice that came from behind him. The last time he had heard that voice, it was screaming at the strawberry blonde to get out and never come back. With a deep inhale and longer exhale, Ichigo turned around and locked eyes with the slightly aged man that apparently came to grab the newspaper. Ichigo's heart began to race out of his chest.

With an awkward and uncomfortable smirk, Ichigo replied "Hey, dad."

* * *

**Don't worry, Loly, Menoly, and Menis do get what's comming to them, which I will reveal in a later chapter. speaking of, there's only 2 or 3 more chapters left! So please R&R and the next chapter will be up soon!**


	27. When I Look At You

**Chapter 27**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and I do not own Miley Cyrus' song. I own absolutely nothing!**

**Please enjoy!**

* * *

Ichigo sat across the kitchen table from his father. He looked around at his former home and smiled when he saw that it hadn't changed. The only difference was that the place wasn't occupied with his sisters; Yuzu wasn't standing in the kitchen making dinner and Karin wasn't sitting at the table reading some sports magazine.

Ichigo then looked over at Isshin, who was sitting across from him. Isshin _had_ aged a little; he had a few strands of grey hair of his head and the once all black stubble of his chin was now a full grown beard with strands of grey hair mixed in. Both simply stared at each other with awkward glances and an uncomfortable silence was cast in the room. It had been such a long time since they had even looked at each other, let alone talk to one another. They remembered all the terrible things father and son should never say to each other, although it was too painful to even dwell on it for too long.

"...So..." Isshin finally broke the silence, or at least put a chipped at it.

"...So..." Ichigo replied. He shook his head a bit when he realized that he and his father were more alike then they seemed.

"...Um, how have you been?"

"...Terrible."

At least they were actually talking.

"Dad..." Ichigo took a deep sigh, "I know it's been almost 15 years since we last spoke, but... I need you. Now more than ever, I need you to help me... pick up the pieces to my life."

Isshin didn't respond. He got up from out of his chair and walked over to his son. He kneeled before him and stared him deep in the eyes. Ichigo awkwardly stared back, albeit confused and a bit uncomfortably. The two stayed this way for a couple of minutes before Ichigo felt a punch to his face that sent him out of his hair and left him with a painfully large bruise on his cheek.

Ichigo growled in anger as he looked at his father, who was laughing with his finger pointed at him. "Hah, I can't believe how rusty you've gotten! I thought you were adopting, not giving birth!"

"...Damn it, old man!" Ichigo responded with a kick in his father's face that sent him flying into a wall. "_I'm_ getting rusty? _You're_the old getting old!" A few seconds later, Isshin wobbled back into the room, dizzy from the trip he took just a second ago.

Ichigo smiled and remembered how goofy and fun-loving his father was. Those days seemed so long ago, and now all those good times of clobbering his father into random furniture seemed too long ago. How did things get so complicated? How did Ichigo go from not hesitating to kick his father in the head when he thought he was acting unreasonable to being too scared to even hold a conversation with him?

At least now they were making real progress.

* * *

At KaraKura hospital, in the health unit, Ken'Ichi was sitting down, waiting almost anxiously. One of the nurses of that wing came into the room with papers in her hand. Ken'Ichi took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. He looked over at Dan, who was sitting in a corner nearby. Dan nodded his head to assure him that things would be okay.

"Congrats Kenny-kun, your examinations didn't show any abnormalities."

Ken'Ichi breaths began to ease when he heard these words. "Any?..."

"All the tests came back negative. You are completely STD free."

Ken'Ichi and Dan sighed in elated relief at the wonderful news. Ken'Ichi felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. Dan got up and joyously hugged his best friend, who hugged him back. The nurse bowed her head at them and headed for the door.

"Wait" Ken'Ichi called out to her."Um, can you please not tell my father, Ichigo, I was ever here?"

The nurse smiled and nodded "Yes" in response before bowing to the two boys and walking out of the room.

"Oh, thank god!" Ken'Ichi said, elated.

"Okay, but what now?"

Ken'Ichi sighed in response. What he then remembered what else was going to happen brought him back down. He went from being anxious and nervous to happy and relieved only to go to sad, all in just a minute or two.

"I've got a promise" Ken'Ichi lowered his head a bit. "I promise that I have to keep."

* * *

"So, how are the kids?" Isshin asked, taking a sup of coffee. Isshin had never actually met any of the kids and only knew about them thanks to Yuzu and Karin occasionally dropping by and giving subtle nods to his adopted grandchildren. In fact, it was just last year that he found out Tetsuya even existed.

"They're okay." Ichigo shook his head, realizing that he couldn't fool himself any longer. "No, they're not actually okay."

"What do you mean?"

Ichigo sighed. "Dad, I didn't... realize how hard it was gonna be. The things those kids have been through, what they've seen,..." Ichigo covered his mouth and trembled slightly. When he and Chad first adopted Ken'Ichi together, they knew how difficult it would be raising a family, but they were so sure that things were gonna be easier because they had each other.

They were sadly mistaken.

Ichigo remembered the one time when he, Chad, and the kids went out to eat at a fancy restaurant. The entire time that they were sitting at their table, waiting for their food, they could feel the burning presence of other people's eyes on them, especially after Chad and Ichigo would show public displays of affection to each other. It got so bad, the staring and the whispering, one of the managers came to the table and told them that they were "disturbing" the other customers' dinner. Ichigo and Chad were both outraged at the crude remark and took the kids home before their meals even arrived! It was such an embarrassing night, for them as well as the kids.

The kids. He and Chad were at first so excited to be starting their own family, they never really stopped to think how their relationship would afftect the kids.

"I don't wanna do this to my kids anymore." Ichigo took the mug that was occupying the coaster and he took a deep sip. "They've been through so much, and it's because of... their gay fathers."

Isshin simply stared at his son with a stern look on his face as the strawberry blonde continued.

"I didn't think that the world would be so cruel against us, all the oppurtunities they've been denied-"

"Enough." Isshin stood up and walkd over to the sink to rinse out his cup. "Is that why you came here? So that I could listen to your regrets? Or is there something else going on?"

Ichigo stood up and took one more gulp before he handed the empty mug to his father. "It's not like that! It's just... now that Chad's gone, I've had the chance to get my head screwed back on after all the craziness we've been through. But, now that he's gone, I realize the only thing that's missing in my life is... him."

"But you just said-"

"I know, I know. The kids have suffered because of us both. Chad's far away now, and considering everything's he's put us through, he deserves the isolation." Ichigo slumped back down in the chair and lowered his head so that his orange hair would cover his eyes. "So why do I feel so terrible?"

"In this case terrible is good. Well you said you and Sado-kun are over. You need to start dealing with that."

"I know and I've tried, but I can't."

"You don't have a choice, Ichigo. You said the relationship is over."

"Not for me." Ichigo lowered his head even lower in a futile attempt to shield his tearing eyes, but he figured that there was no ponit and raised his head up. He had been hiding how he felt for so long, he didn't really know hot to open up about them now.

"Dad..." Ichigo's voice began to break up.

"...I'm still in love with him."

Isshin smiled slightly and sat back down in his chair. He tried to comfort Ichigo by putting his hand on his shoulder, but Ichigo covered his eyes with his hand and quietly sobbed.

"What am I gonna do?" Ichigo choked out between sobs. "I don't want my kids to be labeled anymore, and my mind is telling me that Chad put us through hell, but my heart is telling me that... I still love him."

"Well, for starters, what do _you _want?"

"I want things to go back!" Ichigo angrily stood up from the chair and paced around the kitchen. "I want to know why he hurt me! How, how could he hurt me like this by cheating on me? Why did he do it, like me and the kids weren't enough!" Everything that had happened, all the real problems originated from Chad's affair with another man a year ago. He almost didn't believe Ken'Ichi when he told him about it because it sounded that incredulous, to say the least. It plagued Ichigo why he did it, it didn't make sense. Ichigo would never have caught an STD and met Grimmjow, Ken'Ichi wouldn't have gotten beat up and ostracized by his peers, Minoru wouldn't have rebelled and been brutally attacked and raped, none of these things would've happened it Chad hadn't had cheated in the first place! Ichigo wanted to hate him, he had every reason to.

However, despite everything he had put them through, Ichigo still loved him liked his heart never felt felt a thing. He couldn't explain it and he didn't care. He remembered all the good things about him, too many to even list: how safe he and the kids felt when in his presence, how good a cook he was, how much the kids loved and adored him even after he left. Ichigo remembered how one night he had a nightmare. He woke up gasping and crying and Chad was lying right beside him, holding him with his muscular arms and gently kissing him, telling him that it was just a dream and that it was okay. They cuddled the rest of that night and Ichigo thought of how lonely it was, having to sleep in that large bed alone, night after night after night.

Ichigo's mind told him to hate him with a passion.

But through it all, Ichigo's heart was telling him that he was still in love, and that Chad felt the same way.

"Ichigo, what Chad did to you and the kids was a- poor choice, to say the very least." Understatement of the year, actually. "But now, you're just looking for excuses for you to not be together anymore. It's only gonna deepen the wounds even more. The kids want you to be happy first, that's why they're still there. They love their fathers. Anything that they've been through has been with both of their fathers by their sides, and when Chad left, they were propelled into this strange and foreign new formula. No matter what they may say or do, they need their dads."

"But I can't go back to him, at least not yet. Not for a while."

"There you go, contradicting yourself again." Isshin pointed out. "You've got your strength, you've rested, you've had time to yourself without anyone to influence you. Time you faced up to the music. You've always had alot of courage, Ichigo."

The strawberry-blonde smirked at his father's statement.

"If I do... I got it from you."

Isshin half-laughed in response with a big grin on his face. "From me, from your mother,... Ichigo, courage is in your veins."

Ichigo smiled back at his father as a sense of hope was bestowed in him. "I love you, dad."

"I love you, son. Even if you have carrot creme for a hair color."

The two men laughed at the witty remark for a moment before Isshin headed over to his son and embraced him in a warm and deep hug. Although they were both pretty sure that they had never hugged each other, it nevertheless felt so nostalgic and refreshing the fact that they had finally spoken to each other in almost 15 years.

"Talk to him. Just tell him how you feel."

"How dad? It's too late now. I just let him go off. He left weeks ago for L.A."

"Do you need me to spell it out for you?"

It was moments like that that made Ichigo shiver at how similar he and his head could be.

* * *

Ken'Ichi and Toshiro stood opposing each other at the airport. Toshiro had decided that he needed to be with his family, to Momo and Rangiku's delight. Rangiku was already going through security when Toshiro asked to ake a few minutes to say goodbye to Ken'Ichi, who had come for support.

The two glanced somewhat awkwardly at each other as they both tried to say something other than the obvious.

_Everybody needs inspiration,_  
_Everbody needs a song._

"I should probably just go. Security can take a while and my aunt's waiting."

Ken'Ichi nodded in response. "Yeah."

_A beautiful melody,_  
_When the night's so long._

"...Thanks again for all your help. You really came through for me."

Ken'Ichi smiled at this and winked at the white-haired boy. "We'll call it even."

_Cause there is no guarantee,_  
_That this life is easy._

It then hit them, that this was actually happening. It seemed as though just the other day back that they were meeting for the first time in homeroom. They didn't know each other, but in the time frame that followed their encounter, they grew to know each other better than anyone else.

And now it was time to say goodbye.

_Yeah when my world is falling apart._  
_When there's no light to break up the dark,_  
_That's when I, I, I look at you._

"Bye." both boys said in unison, before embracing other in a warm hug that while was only a minute, seemed like hours. They parted a little to look at each other one more time. They still had so much to say, but time and Toshiro's flight wouldn't allow it.

Without another word, Toshiro bent down to grab his bags and walked off to the luggage area. He quickly glanced back at Ken'Ichi and waved goodbye, at which Ken'Ichi and weakly smiled and responded with the same gesture.

_When the waves are flooding the shore, _  
_and I can't find my way home anymore._  
_That's when I, I, I look at you._

_'So that's it.' _Ken'Ichi thought._ 'As long as he's happy.' _Ken'Ichi gasped softly in surprise to find himself tearing up, quickly rubbing his eyes to not let them fall. He knew that it was gonna be sad to watch Toshiro leave, but he didn't expect to cry. But he knew Toshiro had something more important to deal with and couldn't let him see him this way. He turned around and began to walk away to the front exit, ready to resume his life.

That is, until he stopped dead in his tracks when felt the heat of a pair of piercing eyes burning at the back of his head.

_When I look at you, _  
_I see forgiveness, _  
_I see the truth._

He turned around to see a certain white-haired boy staring at him from afar, standing right in front of the luggage belt.

_You love me for who I am,  
Like the stars hold the moon,  
Right there where they belong.  
and I know im not alone._

Without another word, the two boys walked hastily towards each other. No words were ever spoken.

_Right there where they belong. _  
_and I know im not alone._

Toshiro just wound his free arm around Ken'Ichi's neck and feeling the needy embrace of the other boy, he sank slowly into a deep kiss a second later.

_Yeah when my world is falling apart,_  
_When there's no light to break up the dark,_

It was such heaven. He had never experienced such an amazing kiss with Loly. With Toshiro, the sweet, electric impulse ran down his back and sent waves throughout his whole body, as the same happened to Toshiro. Both boys closed their eyes, not paying attention at some people staring at them in shock or disgust, and even some with mild interest.

It was funny how Ken'Ichi would've been humiliated out of his mind if this was his fathers doing this a year ago, but now that he was finally starting to see that he was with someone he loved, he didn't give a damn what random people thought any longer.

_That's when I, I, I look at you._

After what seemed like minutes, Ken'Ichi broke the kiss, even though inside they wanted nothing more but to stay like that. "We'll always have Karakura, right?"

Toshiro smiled. "Yeah, someday, maybe."

_When the waves are flooding the shore, _  
_and I can't find my way home anymore,_

Ken'Ichi willingly nodded and Toshiro gave one more quick peck on the lips before he grabbed his bags that he dropped on the floor. He gave Ken'Ichi one last kiss on the lips before he walked off to the luggage area. Ken'Ichi sighed deeply when he watched the white-haired boy walk away from him to pick up the pieces of his own life.

But he knew his home would always be with him, in his heart.

_That's when I, I, I look at you._

* * *

_You, appear just like a dream to me. _  
_Just like kaleidoscope colors,_

"Grandma?" Toshiro's voice was already breaking up as he stood in the hospital door to the room where his Grandmother was. He saw his elderly grandmother in bed with an IV hanging below her nose. She looked so fragile and weak, it brought the white-haired boy to tears that he didn't come sooner. Although she was asleep, she slowly opened her eyes to see her grandson standing at the doorway.

_That cover me,_  
_All I need,_  
_Every breath that I breathe,_  
_Don't you know you're beautiful_

"Shiro-kun?" her voice was so soft and feeble, and she weakly tried to shift upright in bed. She looked like she was in so much pain and Toshiro could see tears blurring his vision.

"Yes, it's me..." was all Toshiro managed to get out. He broke down and began to cry softly as he slowly walked over to his grandmother's side. With a teary laugh, she stretched her hands for Toshiro and the two embraced as they cried for each other.

_When the waves are flooding the shore, _  
_and I can't find my way home anymore,_  
_That's when I, I, I look at you._  
_I look at you, Yeah, Woah._

From outside of the door, Rangiku and Momo stared in awe with tears in their eyes at the sight of grandmother and grandson reunited for the first time in months.

_You, appear just like a dream to me._

* * *

**Please R&R and the exciting conclusion to "All In The Eyes Of A Boy" will be up soon!**


	28. Two Is Better Than One

**Chapter 28**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. I do not own Boys like Girls' song! I OWN NOTHING!**

**This chapter's a songfic as well :)**

**Please enjoy this last chapter! You won't be disappointed!**

* * *

Chad walked down the stairs from behind the stage to the halls of the white-walled backstage, the roaring sound of the screaming fans trailing off into the background. He had just finished his second concert in L.A and was getting ready for his next shows. Behind him came two of his "bodyguards": both of which had shaved heads, sunglasses and wearing black tank-tops that barely contained their bulging muscles underneath. Chad actually found it somewhat ironic that he would need bodyguards when back home in Japan, just the mere sight of his gargantuan stature was enough to make even the toughest of thugs wet themselves. The fact that although well-muscled, he was actually bigger than both of his "bodyguards" was also quite ironic.

"Chad! There he is!"

Chad turned around to see several ditzy, giggling girls running up to him screaming his name as if they were hitting their orgasms with every step they took. Apparently, they somehow found a way to make their way through backstage security and rush by to see their favorite bass player. However, the security did their job as Chad walked down to his dressing room. However, the security didn't stop them from confessing their love to Chad.

"Chad! We love you!"

"Chad, will you marry me?"

"Chad, can I have your babies?" made him the most uncomfortable. Chad sighed a small sigh of relief when he saw his dressing room door and went inside. Chad's dressing room wasn't what he was used to; it was quite spacious with a row of clothes hanging in the corner, a fairly large table with a mirror, and a large basket underneath the table filled with bottled water and packets of raisins (which Chad didn't care much about).

Chad didn't realize just how fast-paced the music industry would truly be. It wasn't like playing in a garage band with his old friends back in the day when dreaming of making it big was only half the fun. Ever since Ken'Ichi left back to Japan, Chad had been thrusted into the music scene, playing numerous gigs in stadiums, opening for various concerts, recording songs in the studio, and even performing at music awards. It had only been 3 weeks since Ken'Ichi left, but the days felt like years when Chad was with his band.

When he bent down under the table to grab a bottle of water, Chad accidentally knocked over a framed picture from off the table. He stared at the picture and smiled; it was him, Ichigo, and the kids at the beach. Chad had Tetsuya sitting on his shoulders playing with his brown hair while Ichigo, Ken'Ichi, and Minoru were all posing with their wakeboards. Although Minoru and Tetsuya got sunburned later that day, it was a happy time for them all. Those days seemed so long ago. How did things get so complicated now? He never would've thought that he would be so far away from his family and on such bad terms with most of them.

Chad's thoughts were interrupted when he heard a knock at the door.

"Chad" shouted Gitano, the lead singer and guitarist of the band. "Five minutes!"

"Okay!" Chad replied. He quickly snatched a bottle of water and headed for the door. Just before he opened the door, however, Chad took one last glimpse at the framed picture of his family and slowly closed the door to his dressing room.

* * *

Chad, Gitano, and Harutoki sat in their stretch limo in silence as they were chauffeured through Los Angeles to get to their next concert.

Although Chad hadn't been in L.A. that long, he already knew that he wasn't in Japan, playing with friends just for the hell of it anymore.

Sitting there with the band, the same group of people he used to know so well, made him realize just how long it really had been and how much things had changed. That seemingly distant, weird feeling like he didn't belong clung to him since he first played with his old band. They were still nice people, as he clearly remembered, but now that they were famous, the band took things very seriously; it was work first, then play later. _Much_ later. Chad could feel his mood drop as he gazed off quietly into the front of the limo.

The long Chad stayed in that tense limo, the better the idea of being at home with Ichigo and the kids looked and felt.

* * *

For Chad, it was starting to sink in how famous the group was. Chad, Gitano, Harutoki sat in a security guarded table in the middle of a small in downtown L.A. with a large crowd of people completely surrounding them. Many of them were holding blank white T-shirt and black markers, while others had other accessories that they wanted signed, such as hats, shoes, and guitars.

The group had been sitting for hours, their hands cramped up from signing autographs and taking pictures all morning. Although they were exhausted, it was the price to pay for fame.

When Chad had finished autographing a picture of him and his band, a young woman walked up to the desk (as far as security would allow) and grinned widely at Chad.

"My sons are huge fans of your group." she said, "In fact, Chad, you're already my youngest son's favorite member."

Chad couldn't help but to glow at the refreshing compliment.

But the glow faded when he actually saw those three boys. Those three boys that so strikingly resembled his own boys.

"Hi, I'm Kennedy." said who appeared to be the oldest. His resemblance to Ken'Ichi was almost uncanny: he was tall, had dark brown hair like Ken'Ichi, tanned skin, emerald green eyes, and looked like a pre-teen.

"I'm Mickey." said the second boy standing next to Kenneth. His appearance was all strikingly similar to Minoru; with his hazel eyes, jet black hair, and overall demeanor.

"I'm Teddy. I have ch-u-lates for you." said the youngest one, pulling out a small box of chocolate chips. He even had trouble pronouncing words, just like Tetsuya used to. It was him that reminded Chad of Tetsuya the most. The blonde hair, baby blue eyes, dimples, the fair skin, and the innocent disposition, he touched Chad's heart the deepest. The kids which he missed terribly.

They were all terribly shy and in awe, standing in front of a celebrity, but they still held out what they wanted autographs from the big man. Chad, however, simply stood in awe as to how much alike they were to his own boys.

"I'm sorry," said Teddy. "You don't like it?"

"No I love chocolate. You all just look like people I know..."

"Who?" the boys said in unison.

Chad sighed a teary breath. "...My children."

* * *

The stadium had been packed, as usual.

The crowds went buck-wild when the band took back on the stage to resume playing their sold-out show. The band really got the crowd going and the energy that they were getting from the audience got them pumped up.

Gitano gave the que to which song they were starting with next and Chad and Harutoki.

"Okay, everyone" Gitano began, "this next song is about having the person you love right there with you and being together with them is alot better than be all alone by yourself."

When Gitano began to strum his guitar, his words hit Chad hard, instantly reminding him of the orange-haired man that he left back home in Japan and the love that he had for him.

_I remember what you wore on the first day_  
_You came into my life and I thought_  
_"Hey, you know, this could be something"_

Chad did indeed remember. Ichigo was sprawled on the ground, heavily beaten up but his opponents in a far more critical condition. Wiping off blood from his face with his sleeve, Ichigo seemed not to care about his injuries, although both knew he still felt the pain.

Those thugs had stolen his Abuelo's memento and even worse, the only treasure he had left to remind him of his Abuelo was about to be destroyed right before his very eyes. Before he could even do anything about it, they had bound him to a chair and taunted him about how "weak" he was because he had never fought back. It seemed hopeless... until Ichigo came out of nowhere, to Chad's surprise, and fought off his opponents for a complete stranger at that time. He had took his share of blows, but Chad's treasure had remained unscathed and harm-free.

"_All right. Let's do this Chad. You keep doing your thing, and don't fight for yourself, but fight for me. And I will fight for you. If you put your life on the line to protect something, then I'll put my life on the line to protect it too._"

_'Cause everything you do and words you say_  
_You know that it all takes my breath away_  
_And now I'm left with nothing_

Chad had wondered why the orange-haired teenager had went through all that trouble for someone he'd never met at the time. At that moment, Chad knew that Ichigo was different from everyone else he had ever come across.

And in time, he wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

_So maybe it's true  
That I can't live without you  
And maybe two is better than one  
But there's so much time  
To figure out the rest of my life  
And you've already got me coming undone_

Then it hit him. It really hit him where he was and what he was doing.

What hit him the hardest, however, was what he had done three years ago. What he didn't notice, was the single tear that rolled down his cheek as he continued to play bass with his band.

_And I'm thinking two is better than one_

* * *

Chad was walking along the shore of a private beach, letting their bare feet feel the sand and the cool tide, remembering all the good times he had had with his family.

_I remember every look upon your face_  
_The way you roll your eyes_  
_The way you taste_  
_You make it hard for breathing_

He had it all, a great lover, amazing kids, a good job, a great life, and he gave all off that up. He felt like there was something missing in his life, and Nova was able to give him that edge that he felt like he needed. In the process, he hurt his loved ones and threw his great life all away. But what he didn't realize was that not the only thing he was missing was his family.

The fame, the money, the thousands of fans screaming his name. None of that mattered since he didn't have his family with him. Chad sat down on the wet sand and closed his eyes, let the cool tide wash away his thoughts for that moment.

_'Cause when I close my eyes and drift away_  
_I think of you and everything's okay_  
_I'm finally now believing_

_'They all should be here to experience this.'_ Chad thought. _'So this is how it's going to be, now...'_

Just then, his cell phone rang. Chad tried to ignore it, wanting to watch the beautiful sunset and lose himself in happier days. But the phone still rang, and Chad had no choice but to answer it.

Thinking that it was his manager, or Gitano, Chad answered his phone with an unenthusiastic "Hello?"

"Hey, Chad." an all too familiar voice replied.

_That maybe it's true_  
_That I can't live without you_  
_And maybe two is better than one_

Chad suddenly stood up in surprise that the strawberry blonde was calling him. "Ichigo! Is everything okay? Are the kids okay?"

"Yes, Chad."

_But there's so much time_  
_To figure out the rest of my life_

"Actually, Chad, not really." Ichigo confessed. "There's a slight problem that I need your help with."

"What is it?"

_And you've already got me coming undone_  
_And I'm thinking two is better than one_

"Tell me, what was eight set of legs, arms, eyes, and comes in a large size?"

Chad cocked an eyebrow in confusion. "What are you talking about? I-I don't know."

Ichigo snicked in response. "Give up? Thought you would."

_I remember what you wore on the first day_

"Okay, here's a hint: Turn around."

Chad did as he was told and slowly turned around to an almost unreal sight. He dropped his phone onto the sand and his jaw became nearly unhinged as he stared in shock, surprise, and disbelief.

_You came into my life and I thought, "Hey,"_

Yards away from the shore and standing on a boardwalk, Chad was met with an orange-haired man holding a toddler, and two young boys standing next to him, all of them grinning happily and waving their hands at him.

_Maybe it's true_  
_That I can't live without you_

Without a single word or thought, Chad ran towards them, all of whom were a few yards . His instincts, every muscle told him not to screw this up and make sure that he wasn't hallucinating.

_Maybe two is better than one_

Ichigo gave Tetsuya to Ken'Ichi before also running towards the larger man. Seconds later, Ichigo and Chad met each other halfway on the beach. The two briefly stared into each other's eyes, remorseful brown eyes meeting forgiving brown eyes.

_But there's so much time_  
_To figure out the rest of my life_

Chad parted his lips, trying to find the right words and not screw this up. "...I-I can't believe you and the kids came here for me."

_And you've already got me coming undone_

"Oh course we did. Chad,... I love you. And... I had so much to say, but-" Ichigo was curtailed by Chad's lips meeting his own for the first time in over a year.

_And I'm thinking_  
_I can't live without you_

It was heaven. Paradise. Everything associated with pure bliss, and after a year a separation, the touch of the other man's lips made Ichigo shiver, and the sweet, almost orgasmic impulse ran up and down both their spines. Both had been starving for each other for so long, it seemed almost unreal now that it was actually happening.

Despite his physical yearning, Chad broke the kiss, much to both of their dismay. Chad had been afraid that he would never get to be with Ichigo like this again, and the fact that he was given a second chance, he would be damned if he messed it up again.

_'Cause, baby, two is better than one_

"I'm sorry, Ichi. I'm so sorry for Nova, and _everything _I put you and the kids through." Chad brushed a strand of Ichigo's soft, orange hair. "I love you and the kids so much, and I've hated it in California, so you...wanna go back home?"

Ichigo chuckled. "Dummy, I _am_ home."

"What do you mean?"

"Home is where the heart is, and my heart is with you."

_But there's so much time_  
_To figure out the rest of my life_

The two smiled at each other, and leaned in for another kiss, until they heard Minoru's voice from the boardwalk.

"Hey! What about us?" Minoru shouted.

Ichigo and Chad smiled happily and waved their hands for the kids to come down. Minoru and Ken'Ichi, who was holding Tetsuya, quickly raced each other to where there parents were. Chad and Ichigo embraced the kids in a group hug, their bonds and their love for one another restored. They felt a few pairs of eyes on them, but none of them noticed (or even cared).

_But I'll figure it out_  
_When all is said and done_

"Welcome home, you guys." Chad choked, tearing up at the fact that was finally reunited with his family.

_Two is better than one_

"It's good to be home." Ichigo and the kids echoed back to him.

_Two is better than one_

**The End.**

* * *

**There you have it. It's been a long, hard year and I can't believe how long it took me to do this story. Thank you to everyone for putting up with me and my long drifts and staying with my stories and reviewing them. A fourth story on the Kurosaki-Sado family _is _possible, but it's up to you guys if you want it. I say fourth because I'm also going to do a one-shot story about them that'll be up very soon. I worked really hard on this story and I can't believe it's finally over. Please keep reading and reviewing and chapter - oh yeah, this is the last chapter lol. I did it again lol. Well, still keep reading and reviewing both my stories and tell me what you thought about this last chapter and this story in general. Thanks again to everyone who supported me and helped me! There will be more stories in the future, so don't get sick of me just yet!**


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